About Spring Training: Meanderings of My Mind

About Spring Training: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

March 3, 2025

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Spring Training is in full swing, and we are a little more than three weeks away from Opening Day. There have been a lot of developments already for the Yankees. Luckily, they still have some time to get the roster, lineup, and starting rotation squared away. Well, today is Monday and there are no regular season games to recap yet. That means I will now move from topic to topic like a grizzly bear in a river full of salmon. 

·      Marcus Stroman is still on the team, and he might not be going anywhere because Luis Gil has an injury in his right shoulder. Gil will be undergoing tests, so it is not yet known if he will miss significant time or require surgery. I never like to guess or make amateur diagnoses on injuries. Since the Yankees tend to be very cautious in this regard, I would expect Gil to not be ready for Opening Day. However, that still does not guarantee Stroman will be in the rotation or even on the team. I think it depends on the severity of Gil’s injury and the development of Will Warren. Stroman pitched yesterday and was shaky. Remember, he didn't pitch at all in the postseason and the Yankees do not have a lot of confidence in him. They have been trying to trade him since the end of last season. It might make more sense to put Will Warren in the rotation, especially if Gill will miss a significant amount of time.

·      I was very saddened to hear about the passing of Gene Hackman. The details surrounding his death are disturbing. He was one of my all-time favorite actors. He was almost always the best part of any film he was in. I have read a lot of the tributes to him in the past few days and would like to recommend a few lesser-known movies that showcase his talent and range: Heist, Narrow Margin, Bite the Bullet, and Under Suspicion.  His cameo in Young Frankenstein always makes me laugh. R.I.P., Sir.

·      As many of us predicted, Giancarlo Stanton will not start the season on the roster. He recently had platelet rich plasma injections in both elbows and as noted, he had not swung a bat for several weeks prior to Spring Training. It is unclear when he will be able to do so. That will obviously keep him out for a significant period of time. It is best not to listen to Aaron Boone in these situations because he is vague, practically incoherent, evasive, and misleading. As we used to say when I worked for the state child protection agency, Boone is not a reliable source of information. Stanton’s absence leaves an opening at DH. I have read some bizarre suggestions, including Dominic Smith and JD Martinez. I don't like either of those options. Another suggestion is to move Cody Bellinger to rightfield more often than not and use Aaron Judge as the DH. That would put Trent Grisham in center field. I was surprised that the Yankees kept Grisham on the roster, but I don't think we should imagine him being something he is not. He is a backup outfielder who should play sparingly. I would prefer to give the at bats at DH to Ben Rice and or Everson Pereira. They could form a platoon, unless one of them seizes the job. I would prefer to go with young players who have a tremendous amount of potential than washed up veterans. We have seen how that worked before.

·      I think I speak for a lot of people of my generation when I say that I cannot hear the Ray Charles song “Mess Around”, without envisioning John Candy driving a car, smoking a cigarette, and playing an imaginary piano in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

·      Are you sitting down? If not, please do so. You won't believe this, but DJ LeMahieu is injured again. Keep in mind that Aaron Boone was touting him as the front-runner for the third base position. Boone went on and on about how good LeMahieu looked and that he was a two-time batting champion and that we shouldn't count him out. Yet, he didn't play in a game until Saturday. You would think that if he was ready to seize the job and win the competition, he would have played sooner. I suspected something was wrong. When he did play, it was as the designated hitter. On his second at bat, he tweaked something in his calf, and he is undergoing tests. I do not imagine that he will be ready to play anytime soon. He couldn't even handle two at bats. As I have written before, I predict that Oswald Peraza will be the starting third baseman this season. I think he will be fine if he is given a chance to develop and mature. The infield defense will be excellent with him at third, Anthony Volpe at shortstop, Jazz Chisholm, Jr. at second, and Paul Goldschmidt at first base.

·      My publisher finished the page design for my second novel, “The Sea Change of Dr. Abernathy.” I will be reviewing it this week and if there are no changes needed, they will then design the cover. After that, the book will be printed and released. Yesterday, I had just about finished editing and reviewing my novella when my computer froze. I rebooted it and all the changes I had made over the past few days were lost. Oh well, at least the story itself was not lost. I will get it done this week. No use crying over spilt milk as they say. Clancy doesn't cry over spilt milk, he drinks it. He loves to sit in my office in the cat tower while I write.  I often think someone is running a lawn mower or a snow blower, but it is just Clancy purring.

·      Sometimes I forget that the word fan is an abbreviation for fanatic but then something outlandish happens, and I remember it. There has been a lot of hand wringing and gnashing of teeth in the past several days over Jasson Dominguez’s defensive play in leftfield. As we hear every single season in Spring Training, the outfield at George M Steinbrenner field, particularly in leftfield is very difficult to navigate due to the conditions in Florida, including the wind and the excessively bright sun. In addition to that, everything Dominguez does is magnified. The play that he did not make on Friday was certainly not a routine play. It was very difficult. I read many articles and heard many reports about how the Yankees need to make another plan for leftfield. People were even suggesting that they sign Alex Verdugo. That would be a terrible idea. Everyone simply needs to relax. Saturday, Dominguez made an exceptional play in leftfield. He will be fine. 

·      I mispronounced a word the other day, and my friend Roger started dancing around like Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. When you think about it, Grandpa Joe was not a great guy. After all, his family was living in squalor, but he refused to get out of bed for twenty years. However, the minute he had a chance to go to a chocolate factory, he leaped out of bed and started dancing like Fred Astaire. Another thought on that film, it's funny how your perspectives change as you get older. Now I cannot watch that film without wondering about the immigration status of the Oompa Loompas.

·      The Yankees bullpen looks as if it will be very good this year. They have had a few injuries, including Scott Effross, JT Brubaker, and Jake Cousins but they have several other options, including Brent Headrick and Tyler Matzyk. They still have a few more weeks to shake everything out and identify specific roles for people but, this could be a very solid relief corps.

·      I think it's great that Aaron Judge takes his role as the team captain seriously. He cares about his teammates and the legacy of the franchise. However, he may have a bit too much influence with Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman. Judge seems to follow his heart more than his head occasionally. Apparently, he was one of the leaders of the group that spared DJ LeMahieu from the chopping block last season. Similarly, he advocated for Aaron Boone to get an extension. I'm not saying Judge should not voice his opinions. He certainly should but I think Steinbrenner and Cashman need to evaluate those opinions and recommendations more judiciously and not just follow them blindly.