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Today the weather finally held out (for awhile, anyway) and we played our first scrimmage against the PSSBL Bulls (formerly the Sox). They are a bit of a rivalry for us, since the commissioner plays for their team and is a friend of a few of the people on our squad. I had some negative experiences against their team when I played for the Mariners in the Rocky division, so I was pretty amped up to pitch and step into the batter’s box against them.

Jacob got the start and went 2 IP, allowing two runs, of which one was unearned (I believe). I came in to pitch in the third and went two innings, allowing no runs, one walk and no strikeouts. Both Jacob and I threw only fastball/changeup/gyroball combinations, saving our breaking balls for the regular season. The truth is that I have little faith in my pronation curve at this point, but feel it should be ready by the season opener. I had decent control but below-average command of my changeup, but when I threw it where I wanted, the hitters were completely thrown off. In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t thrown it, since it’s my best pitch and we play the Bulls four times this year, but hopefully I’ll have developed the pronation curve by the next time we play them.

At the plate I went 1-for-2 with a strikeout (swinging and missing middle-out) and a double. I also picked up a very easy infield assist at second base to close out our game as the rain started in on us. We ended the game after 5.5 innings with the scored tied up at 2-2.

All in all, it was a very good day for me, and everyone seemed positive about our chances going forward. I think it’s clear that our pitching is going to be pretty good. I’ll have tough competition for the #2 spot, as Roger came on in the fifth and pitched two excellent innings, recording a few strikeouts. As I’ve said before, I definitely don’t mind the competition - I thrive on it!

Today was also the first game where I threw from the Marshall windup and the modified set position. It felt great - way better than throwing from the traditional windup. I will continue to use these mechanics until I run into an overzealous ump. I think I should keep a copy of the MLB rules regarding the windup/set positions on me at all times just to prove that they are in fact legal throwing positions. For those of you who aren’t aware what Marshall pitchers look like, here’s a clip of Jeff Sparks throwing the pronation curve (large file - 13.5 MB):

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Yesterday’s practice was a good one for myself as well.  I’d felt as though I’d hit a wall the last few times I’d thrown the ball, the velocity was there, but my control wasn’t.  I’ve been trying to add more backside drive when coming down the mound, sometimes this changes the plane of my shoulders and I miss my target.  It’s a small adjustment, and I fell I put it together for a few pitches yesterday.

It’s tough working on things when you’re simultaneously trying to make an impression on your new teammates.  I’ve thrown so many bullpens this off-season that if I don’t have a specific thing to work on, I find myself not able to really “lock in”… but I think that will be easily remedied by having some opposition.  I’m the kind of pitcher who needs to get some guys out before I can start to show my leadership on the mound.  Two scrimmage innings on Sunday is the next step in that direction.

The Adams division is an interesting situation.  With only six teams, we are going to play each other four times…  which paves the way for some intense rivalry and revenge opportunities.  Our scrimmage Sunday is against division opponents, but it’s the pre-season.  I’ll be curious to see if the turnout justifies actually playing, hopefully eighteen guys show.  I’m also anxious to see how intense the gamesmanship is.  Many of these guys know each other, so it will be interesting to see how hard people play in the spring muck.

Our team is taking shape, I really like the quality of ballplayers Rob has assembled.  We’re deep at just about every position, even catcher.  Competition from within combined with a good practice regimen…  Sounds like the perfect approach to the season.

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More people showed up to tonight’s practice, about nine altogether. We had the two guys there from the previously mentioned post, who ended up falling to us in the draft. Both of them can throw pretty well, but one is pretty raw (never pitched in HS) and the other just needs some more time on the mound. I would imagine that both should become pitchers on the team, as they definitely have the ability and both seem to want to work hard, which fits in with the team’s philosophy.

Rob reaffirmed the notion that no positions or spots in the lineup are completely spoken for, which is just how I like it. Despite the fact that I was told that I’ll be batting in the middle of the lineup, pitching, and possibly playing 2b on my days off, I never take anything for granted anymore. I welcome the competition (both of the new guys can hit and one looks to be a good infielder) and like the chance to compete for the shortstop position as well! I do prefer playing second base, but if my bat and glove carry me on the left side of the infield, that’s where I’ll play.

I feel like I had a great session all around today. I hit well, I fielded plenty of balls cleanly and made mostly good throws, and my breaking ball is getting more consistent now that I’ve taken a bit off and switched to the two-seam grip. A big dilemma for me is the fact that I throw so much more consistently and with more velocity from the pseudo-traditional windup and drop-step delivery that Marshall teaches, but I’m not sure what umpires are going to say. It’s a completely legal delivery and fits well within the rules of MLB and our league, but that might not necessarily fly. I plan on throwing using those mechanics in the Sunday scrimmage; we’ll see how the Bulls like it (I’m sure they won’t).

Tomorrow I’ll be holding optional BP for the HS team, and I’ll probably throw some to the catcher there as well as long as my arm’s not too sore. After stopping the heavy-duty wrist weights/iron ball/lifting program, my arm is feeling better than ever and I daresay at 100%. I’m going to start cutting weight, which is what I wanted to do earlier, but didn’t want to run a caloric deficit while on the serious workout plan. I learned the hard way last year that cutting calories while on such a program can seriously deplete muscle mass and inhibit recovery on my arm.

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