GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The big news is Aroldis Chapman will face the Royals on the 8th in Goodyear. He won't start.
"He's in the bullpen, down here it doesn't matter," Baker said. "It's one thing at a time. ... Plus if we pitch him later, fans stick around and drink more beer. You didn't know I was in marketing, did you?"
Chapman will throw today too, most likely near the end.
Baker was asked if he'd like to see him in some situations just to see how he reacts.
"No," Baker said. "I just want him to be himself. If he walks three and strikes out three and gets a side out, the first thing you want is him to get comfortable. You know you're going to have some jitters, no matter what you say. Like Hank Aaron used to say, nerves are good, you can be nervous, just don't be scared. He's not scared. After you throw the first pitch or two, your nerves are gone. If you're not nervous, you're either lying or something is wrong with you."
There won't be a radar gun reading on the scoreboard.
"That's a problem a lot of times, guys are throwing to radar guns, not to get out," Baker said. "If they had radar guns, I don't think Greg Maddux would ever be signed. I'm sure they'll be some there. If you notice, most of the pitches that score the highest mph, the ball is high and way out of the zone. They say 'woo' but it's not worth a shit."
* Baker said he's excited to get started this afternoon, and he's not alone.
"I think they're ready for it, because they've been working hard," Baker said. "It's the best camp I've ever had. I've had some good ones, this is the best one."
I asked him what that means.
"I haven't had to get on anyone about working or stretching, no complaining, everyone's on time," Baker said. "Everyone works as hard in drills and fundamentals as if they're playing. I try to tell them you practice as you play, but we've still got a long way to go in camp."
Why?
"Everything -- new venue, group of people, quality of coaches, everything," Baker said.
* Baker was asked about the competition.
"Even if you've got a job, that doesn't mean someone's not trying to get your job," Baker said. "Someone's always trying to take your job."
Baker then paused and said to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, who asked the question, "someone's trying to get your job you just don't know who they are. Around here at least they know who it is."
* Another question was what excites Baker about this team.
"I've got some ballplayers, you can do a lot with ballplayers," Baker said. "Not that we didn't have them before, we've got more. We've got guys maturing. We have guys who last year at this time were slated for AA or AAA and they have a chance to start with the club. We haven't added that much. In modern baseball, you're doing something if you can retain most of the players you have already."
* A Cleveland reporter came over and asked about the set-up here in Goodyear.
"All we need is some hotels and restaurants, I don't think that's far off, I saw that with Peoria," Baker said. "I came in the other day P.F. Chang's is across the freeway all by themselves. They're not out there for nothing. It's like building an airport way out from town, 10 years from then everyone's out there."
As for the facility, he expanded on his "new house" metaphor.
"You like your old house, but it just had a one-car garage, one-and-a-half baths and two bedrooms," Baker said. "This one has five, six bedrooms, four-car garage, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, steam room and about six bathrooms, five showers. I have nothing bad to say about Sarasota, I liked Sarasota, I enjoyed my time there. It's just that we've got a new facility."
* Joe Morgan will be in camp today.
Leave a comment