Roger Arrieta
Baseball is back! Kind of. We’ve been saying this since the lockout ended but today we got our first viewing of actual* baseball.
The Dodgers played the Brewers to a 3-3 tie in what looked like impeccable weather out in Arizona. We got a good look at several starters, though we had to wait to get a glimpse of our new star first baseman. The No. 1 priority signing, if we can believe what Andrew Friedman said earlier in the day, took the mound to start and we saw a smattering of promise from the young guns hoping to arrive/return to Chavez Ravine in a couple of weeks.
There’s no sense in offering a full recap of a spring training game, much less the first spring training game, but I’ve got some notes to run through.
King Kersh Returns
It’s funny. After spending all offseason thinking about Clayton Kershaw, how we didn’t extend him a qualifying offer, and how fragile he has been over the last few seasons, it’s easy to forget that the man is not made of glass — he came out ready to rumble.
It wasn’t a dominant performance. Kershaw threw 1.1 innings, walked a batter and didn’t strike anyone out on 21 pitches, but it’s good to see him back in action.
“It’s good to be back. It’s good to get the first one out of the way,” he said after the game. “It was a good time.”
Apparently, a “good time” is relative. Seconds later, he expressed his frustration with his start, saying it “wasn’t great, honestly.”
Don’t worry Kersh, no one’s upset you weren’t blowing everyone away. Save your arm for the games that count.
The Kids Are Alright
There wasn’t a ton of flash in Friday’s game, but there were some bright spots.
Jason Martin, a 26-year-old outfielder who signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last year, launched an opposite field home run and made it look easy. I’m not gonna lie, when I saw the swing I thought it looked like he caught it just off the end of the bat. I was wrong. And that’s why I’m not a scout.
The player I’m the most excited about way too early this spring is Miguel Vargas. The 6’ 3” 205-pound kid from Cuba looks like a pure baseball player. Vargas has raked in the minors, slashing .312/.379/.473 with an .852 OPS across all levels in the minors. He’s still young, and he’s struck out 91 more times than he’s walked. But he showed some discipline on Friday as he drew a walk and collected a hit in his two plate appearances.
Then there was my personal favorite performance. I’ve got some bias as I watched Garrett Cleavinger play when in college at the University of Oregon. He was phenomenal there, winning 18 games while collecting 13 saves and striking out 172 batters over 116 innings — 13.3 K/9. Oh, and only allowed 3 home runs — an average of 1 per season for those, like me, who are not mathematically inclined.
He has had a rough go of it in his brief major league career. But his appearance on Friday was electric. Cleavinger looked comfortable (maybe because it’s spring training? Maybe because he knows that even though it’s spring training these games count for anyone who isn’t a veteran?) and set down the Brewers 1-2-3 in the top of the 9th with 2 Ks.
I know it’s only March, and the start of the season is still a long way off, to say nothing of the playoffs. But I won’t let that get me down. Baseball has returned, and all is right with the world.
*Yes, “it’s only spring training” caveats apply, but any baseball is nice to have as far as I’m concerned.
