Baseball is back as 14 games took place in the Cactus League and Grapefruit League on Saturday in the first games of Spring Training. With Opening Day set for one month from Monday, the action got underway in Florida and Arizona, with limited fans in attendance.
Mancini Returns to Action
The Baltimore Orioles are not expected to contend this year, not by a long shot. But they got the early nod for the feel-good story of Spring Training as outfielder/first baseman Trey Mancini returned to action on Saturday. Ed Smith Stadium was only 25 percent full, but Mancini received a standing ovation in his first at-bat after recovering from colon cancer.
Mancini promptly singled to center off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chad Kuhl. Mancini was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in March 2020 and missed the entire season. He had surgery to remove a malignant tumor on March 13.
The 28-year-old is hoping to be at 100 percent before Opening Day and will likely serve as the Orioles designated hitter or first baseman instead of returning to the outfield. In 2019 he hit .292/.364/.535 with 35 home runs, 38 doubles, and 97 RBI in 106 games.
Syndergaard’s Rehab Going Well
The news out of New York Mets camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla. on Saturday was good in terms of injured pitcher Noah Syndergaard. The right-hander is 11 months removed from Tommy John surgery that cost him the 2020 season, and he has progressed to throwing off a mound.
Syndergaard has yet to speak publicly to the media, but pitching coach Jeremy Hefner told reporters Saturday that the former ace has begun throwing sliders for the first time since his surgery. The Mets are targeting June as a return date for Syndergaard to join a rotation that includes two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman, Taijuan Walker, and Joey Lucchesi.
Syndergaard, 28, was 10-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 32 starts in 2019 while striking out 202 batters. He was 13-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 25 starts in 2018 and set career highs in sine (14), ERA (2.60), and strikeouts (218) in 2018,
The Mets are +1000 to win the World Series even without Syndergaard at 100 percent. They are +525 to win the National League and at +140 to win the NL East.
Young Kids Showing Off
Spring Training is always a time for young players to make a name for themselves, especially when teams are easing veterans into the lineup or rotation. That was definitely the case on Saturday as four of the game’s future stars went deep.
A top Miami Marlins prospect, Jazz Chisholm, homered to lead off the first inning against the Houston Astros. Chisholm had a 21-game cameo in the Majors last year, batting .161/.242/.321, and got his spring started in great fashion Saturday.
He wasn’t the only Marlins youngster to go deep either as first-baseman J.J. Bleday homered in the fifth inning. The 2019 first-round pick has yet to get a full season in pro ball as he played in the Minor Leagues for less than two months in 2019 and spent 2020 at Miami’s alternate camp.
Shortstop Jeter Downs was the big chip sent to the Boston Red Sox in the Mookie Betts trade, and the young prospect hit a two-run homer on Saturday in the sixth inning. Downs has yet to play above Double-A, where he finished the 2019 season with the Dodgers organization.
Boston first baseman Bobby Dalbec also sent deep against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. A top-three Red Sox prospect, Dalbec made his MLB debut last year and hit .263/.359/.500 with eight homers in 23 games.
Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez delivered a walk-off single to beat the San Diego Padres on Saturday. His hit drove in top prospect Jarred Kelenic and capped a tumultuous stretch for both players in the Mariners’ front office saga.
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