Christian Merraro – Baseball Betsy

Scenes From Phillies Minor League Spring Training-March 26, 2016

March 26, 2016March 26, 2016Baseball Betsy2 Comments

Today was one of those days where there was so much going on on three of the four fields at the Carpenter Complex that I could have used a twin or even a triplet to help me try to cover all the action. I’m still stuck using my knee scooter, which has actually turned out to be a help, I can zip around faster than I can walk and when I pick a spot to set up, I can sit on the cushioned seat right against the fence without obstructing anyone’s view.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle trying to get into the parking lot so we were delayed a bit, but as I walked up to Roberts Field in the back, I was pleased to see Cody Asche back at the plate. I was even more pleased to see him smack the ball so hard that it landed at the base of the hill to US 19! It was definitely one of the longest hits I’ve ever seen on that field. You can see pictures of the hit HERE.

Mitch Walding also had a great day, with two home runs, one that I have a picture of and one that Baseball Ross has on video. You can see it HERE.

Dylan Cozens also hit two home runs, I managed to get a picture of one of them.

Here’s some pictures from the rest of the day, my only regret is that I got to Schmidt field in time to see David Buchanan’s last pitch and didn’t have time to get my camera up to get a shot.

The most unique thing I saw today was a true submariner, Ben Rowen of the Jays. I think he has the lowest release point of any submariner I’ve ever seen.

It was a great day for baseball and I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow.

Scenes from Phillies Minor League Spring Training-March 24, 2016

March 25, 2016March 25, 2016Baseball BetsyLeave a comment

It was a busy day at the Carpenter Complex, not only were the AAA and AA Phillies teams playing the Yankees, there was another team (either independent or a college team, even the Phillies players didn’t know which.) playing what will likely become the Gulf Coast League team this summer.

While I’m still not up to 100%, I did my best with my knee scooter, zipping between fields, trying to guesstimate when the different players would be either pitching or hitting and just trying to capture a few good shots. The side effect is that it makes it really hard to have any clue what inning or even what the score was.

Either way, Baseball Ross and I had a good time watching baseball.

Interesting note: John Richy executed a nice bunt, almost out ran it to first and managed to advance the runner…just what a pitcher should do. It was good to see.

Evan Crower is a former quarterback at Stanford.

Malquin Canelo throws to first as Cord Sandberg covers.

Scenes from Phillies Minor League Spring Training-March 9

March 9, 2016March 9, 2016Baseball Betsy2 Comments

It was another beautiful day here in Clearwater. After a cold and wet winter, this warm dry March is a wonderful change.

The one thing that I’ve noticed that’s different from last year is that the atmosphere is lighter and more positive. You see the players with smiles on their faces and a little more bounce in their steps. It seems to be almost the opposite of last season, at least, so far.

Unless you’re someone who’s unnecessarily loquacious, there’s really not a lot that you can say about watching the endless drills of the first week of spring training. So my contribution will be a series of pictures depicting today’s activities.