BRAVES LINKS
Dansby Swanson's big day not enough
The Braves fell to the Tigers on Monday despite impressive showings from Dansby Swanson, Freddie Freeman, and Max Fried, who sat down Detroit’s 3-4-5 hitters in order in his spring debut. Luckily in spring training we can focus less on the outcome and more on individual performances from guys like Fried, who has been on everyone’s radar for quite some time now. Relievers Chaz Roe and Jason Hursh each had rough outings in relief, but it’s still early for both as they try to earn a spot in the bullpen.
Suzuki has no qualms catching knuckleball
Braves catcher Kurt Suzuki got the first crack at catching R.A. Dickey this spring, and looked comfortable doing so considering he had never caught a knuckleballer in any prior game. Suzuki’s ability to catch Dickey makes him a valuable asset, as there have been numerous cases in recent years of catchers having very tough trying to catch the former Cy Young Award winner. Mark Bowman of MLB.com spoke with Dickey about the experience of working with a new catcher:
"Kurt handled it very, very well. He made a great adjustment from the bullpen, where he was kind of struggling with it a little bit, to the game. He's just a pro, so he wants to be as great as he can. I try to help him as much as I can, but it's a hard thing to catch that thing."
That last point is kind of funny coming from Dickey himself, as even he can admit that all that movement would be a nightmare to catch.
Fried feeling ‘best I ever have’
After Max Fried had his big outing on Monday, there was a lot of excitement (especially in the comments section of our game thread) given how well the young lefty threw the ball last season and how he carried it right into camp this spring. Facing Miguel Cabrera in his first appearance, Fried looked like a seasoned vet as he carved through the heart of the Tiger order. Michael Cunningham of the AJC caught up with Fried following Monday’s outing to discuss the experience and how he feels as competition gets back underway:
“That’s what you want to do,” Fried said. “These are the guy’s you want to face. For me, it was obviously a nice outing. I felt good. Everything is starting to click. My fastball command was really good. I couldn’t be happier.”
“Right now, at this point, I’m feeling the best I ever have as far as my location, my stuff,” he said. “I’m really trying to ride it into the season and not do too much, stay within myself.”
MLB NEWS
Chemically treated balls closer to use in Majors
The chemically treated baseballs that were used experimentally in the AFL this past season are growing closer to regular use in the Major Leagues, according to Paul Hagen of MLB.com. The new baseballs would reportedly eliminate the need for rosin bags, pine tar, sunscreen, and Will Smith’s temper tantrums.
Tebow's spring journey begins with 9 BP HRs
I don’t even know what to say here.
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