Spring training always a humbling experience for Marlins players
JUPITER, Fla. -- The sun is still rising during this ungodly -- at least by sports standards -- hour on a Thursday morning.
It's early enough that players opt for glasses rather than contacts should they get comfortable enough on the team bus for a quick nap. Others relax to the music in their headphones, play games or watch movies.
Last Thursday, the Miami Marlins faced the Boston Red Sox for a 1:05 p.m. Grapefruit League game in Fort Myers -- a 137 mile drive west on FL-80. Several players and coaches made that 7 a.m. trek again a week later, this time to visit the Minnesota Twins.
Spring training is a different animal from the marathon seven-month regular season where chartered flights and evening games are the norm.
"It's a no-frills, meat-and-potatoes type of thing," veteran infielder Jeff Baker said. "You have a lot of guys -- there's so many guys who've got to get a lot of work in. Little privileges and stuff as a big leaguer you don't really have in spring training. You're able to get your work in and get everything done and it's good."
Before spring games start, players stretch, condition and go through defensive drills. They get their cage work and live batting practice in on the back fields as fans run alongside them to catch up for autographs.
This period of time from late February to early April harkens back to the humble beginnings of every current and aspiring major leaguer.
"It's something you can't train yourself for," right-hander Tom Koehler said. "A couple of us were joking maybe next offseason a week before spring training we should stand around in a circle with our cleats and just jog every 20 minutes in a different direction. No matter what you do in the offseason and how much strength training you do, conditioning you do, you can't truly prepare yourself for that first week of spring training. You're going to be tired. I'm struggling to stay awake past 10 o'clock. It's just something you get through and then your body gets used to the baseball activity. Once you get ramped up doing that then it becomes a lot easier."
There's the early call time, vastly different from the night routine of the 162-game slate. Players begin filing into the clubhouse around 3 p.m. for a 7:10 ballgame. Some arrive sooner. Depending on the length of a game, guys won't make it home until midnight.
During the spring, players report by 8 a.m. Stretches and workouts take place for an hour or so before batting practice on game days. There are meetings nearly every day -- organized by the club or Major League Baseball -- with topics ranging from security to new pace of play rules.
Rarely -- if at all -- did Koehler wake up that early during the 2014 season, even for day games. Baker, who spent four seasons with the Chicago Cubs, found it beneficial for all the matinee matchups at Wrigley Field.
"It's definitely an adjustment because you play all day games and once the season cranks up you play all night games," Baker said. "It's like anything, you just have to adjust and roll with it and not make too much of a big deal. Just take it as it comes."
Baker, a 10-year veteran, drove his own car for last week's game in Fort Myers. Outfielder Reed Johnson, in the big leagues for 12 seasons, carpooled with him. Veterans get the privilege of driving themselves to destinations, an honor bestowed upon them after years of hard work on the grind.
Guys with shorter service time, like Koehler, are "recommended" to take the team bus. Because there are 66 players in camp, everyone travels -- no matter how long a guy has been around.
Gold Glove left fielder Christian Yelich, who wasn't initially on the travel roster for Thursday's game against the Twins, found out he would be making the trip during Wednesday's win over the New York Mets in Jupiter. Manager Mike Redmond took him out after two at-bats to give him the news.
"Everybody still travels," said Yelich, who completed his first full big-league season in 2014. "Younger guys, veteran guys. It's kind of how it works out for you what days you play and what days you haven't. That's kind of what it comes down to. I don't mind. It's just part of spring training."
@JPBeastMode or you could be here. pic.twitter.com/siclyAF4Dj
— Tom Koehler (@TKREFRESH22) March 6, 2015
And spring can be far less glamorous than the luxuries provided during the real season.
On any given day, All-Stars like Dee Gordon and Giancarlo Stanton will carry their equipment bags to the field for the game. They make the walk from the Miami side of the Roger Dean Stadium complex through the left-field wall to the dugout.
During the season, mitts are a short distance away in the clubhouse. Bats and batting gloves sometimes stay in their cubbies inside the dugout.
"It's definitely different," Koehler said. "That's what makes spring training great. Everybody's trying to find their routines, but at the same time you just fly by the seat of your pants because you never know what field you're going to have to be on at what time. You have to be prepared, but I think in the long run that's what helps people get mentally ready for the regular season. Because if you can perform now then it's going to be pretty easy when you show up to the ballpark at 3 o'clock."
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
