The Pirates have played more than a week’s worth of spring training games and now the loss of WBC players obscures the meanings of the results even more, but there’s at least a few things that we can say with relative confidence.
- Donnie Veal’s control has looked pretty good so far. I think he’s getting a roster spot, so it’s nice to see he’s pitching well.
- Andy LaRoche is 4-for-8. Honestly, after last year, I’d be happy if he were 4-for-8 against a pitching machine.
- Pedro Alvarez has caught up after missing time and being out of shape in mini-camp.
The funny part about the spring is when a team like the Pirates starts out 6-1, everyone says, “I know it doesn’t mean anything, but I’d rather they be 6-1 than 1-6.” I’ve always thought that statement was kind of funny, because it’s not really true. I mean, sure, it’s nice to feel like they’re not embarrassing themselves in spring training games, but these games really don’t mean anything. They’re 6-1 now, but will that fact keep people from being more upset when they start the real season out 1-6?
That said, I was totally serious about the “Grapefruit League Champs” shirts if the Pirates stay in first until the season starts. And I’m sorry for the low volume of posts this week, but my brother is in town and as you might have noticed, I’ve done a ton of WBC stuff for FanHouse this week.
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