Some final Yankees Pitchers and Catchers Notes

Jon albaladejo who has made the opening day roster the last 2 seasons has shed 30 pounds. Phil Hughes will be working on his changeup much like last season when he was working on his cutter. He said he will work on it all spring long. He stated he wants to throw another bullpen before he starts mixing in his curveball and cutter. Mark Melancon got married over the winter and Jason Hirsh celebrated the birth of his baby. Chad Jennings of the Journal News and http://lohudyankeesblogs.com stated he considers Hirsh to be a sleeper, we will see. He is a guy who was highly touted a few years ago but hasn't lived up to his hype, he actually pitched pretty well in the minors when the Yankees aquired him last season. Jorge Posada admitted to watching the World Series DVD over the winter. He said " I watched it and you can't believe it, it was a lot of fun." This is all the blogging I will do for today but check back tomorrow for full coverage of the first workouts and also the New York Mets reporting down in Port St. Lucie. It is going to be a wild and crazy ride all season long so keep coming back and please participate by commenting and lets have some good discussions.

Yankees Pre Spring Training Workout

Several of the New York Yankees are down in Tampa for pre spring training workouts at the minor league complex. Curtis Granderson arrived today according to Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News and he did some fly catching drills today in center with Brett Gardner. Rob Thomson the third base coach was the one running the drills. A. J. Burnett played catch today and Chad Gaudin, Alfredo Aceves, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Boone Logan and Dave Robertson were all spotted today. Curtis Granderson also got in live batting practice with Francisco Cervelli, Derek Jeter and Eduardo Nunez. He said he doesn't care if he is in center or left or where he bats in the lineup. He seems like a great guy and I am sure he is going to fit in just fine with this team. Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes threw bullpen sessions only a few yards away from each other side by side today which is pretty ironic since they will be battling for the 5th starter spots. The workouts will really get going at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Thursday with pitcher and catchers but on Wed they will all be reporting. Hang in there everyone as the long journey is about to begin, remember to keep checking back as I will have daily coverage of both the New York Yankees and New York Mets as they go through spring training and into the season.

AL East Spring Training Previews

I am not going to go through all of the teams in baseball, I will do that before the season starts but I do want to look at the AL East teams briefly and where they stand opening up camps this week. New York Yankees: World Champions led by manager Joe Girardi who is in his third and final season under contract. Training Facility: Legends Field, Tampa, FL 2009 Record: 103-59 Key Additions: Javier Vazquez, Nick Johnson, Curtis Granderson,Randy Winn Key Losses: Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Chien-Ming Wang,Melky Cabrera First Workouts: pitchers and catchers on Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 24th Boston Red Sox: lost in first round of playoffs last season after winning the Wild Card finishing second in the division. Led by manager Terry Francona who is in his 7th season with the team. Training Facility: City Of Palms Park, Fort Myers, FL 2009 Record: 95-67 Key Additions: Mike Cameron, John Lackey, Marco Scutaro, Adrian Beltre Key Losses: Jason Bay, Rocco Baldelli,Alex Gonzales First Workouts: pitchers and catchers on Feb 20th, full squad on Feb 24th Tampa Bay Rays: Missed the playoffs in 2009, finishing in third place. Led by manager Joe Maddon in his 5th season with the team. Training Facility: Mosaic Field at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, FL 2009 Record: 84-78 Key Additions: Rafael Soriano, Kelly Shoppach, Dan Johnson Key Losses: Akinori Iwamura, Gabe Gross, Chad Bradford First Workouts: Pitchers and Catchers on Feb 19th, full squad on Feb 24th Toronto Blue Jays: Missed the playoffs in 2009, finished 4th in the division. They are led by Cito Gaston who is in his third season but remember he took them to back to back titles in the 1990's. Training Facility:Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin,FL 2009 Record: 75-87 Key Additions: John Buck, Alex Gonzalez,Kevin Gregg, Brandon Morrow Key Losses: Roy Halladay, Rod Barajas, Kevin Millar, Brandon League First Workouts: Pitchers and Catchers on Feb 22nd, full squad on Feb 26th Baltimore Orioles: missed the playoffs in 2009 finishing last in the division. They are led by manager Dave Trembley in his 4th season. Training Facility: Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, FL 2009 Record: 64-98 Key Additions: Miguel Tejada, Garrett Atkins, Kevin Millwood Key Losses: Melvin Mora, Danys Baez,Chris Ray First Workouts: Pitchers and Catchers on Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 23rd.

Spring Training Report Dates

Pitchers and Catchers is one of the best pair of words that could be uttered. It is a sign of spring and it means that the great game of baseball is back. I know it means a lot of different things to different people and you can find some of that here on the offical MLB website. I know I am certainly ready for spring training, the end of winter and the excitement of a new season. The New York Yankees are World Champions and that always brings out all the cries of the rich getting richer and the need for a salary cap. The great thing about baseball though is everyone starts fresh in spring training and has big dreams no matter what the situation is. Here are the report dates for pitchers and catchers. American League Baltimore- Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 23rd Boston- Feb 20th, full squad on Feb 24th Chicago White Sox- Feb 21st, full squad on Feb 26th Cleveland Indians- Feb 23rd, full squad on Feb 26th Detroit Tigers- Feb 19th, full squad on Feb 23rd K.C. Royals- Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 23rd Los Angeles Angels- Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 23rd Minnesota Twins- Feb 22nd, full squad on Feb 27th New York Yankees- Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 24th Oakland Athletics- Feb 21st, full squad on Feb 26th Seattle Mariners- Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 23rd Tampa Bay Rays- Feb 19th, full squad on Feb 24th Texas Rangers- Feb 19th, full squad on Feb 24th Toronto Blue Jays- Feb 22nd, full squad on Feb 26th National League Arizona Diamondbacks- Feb 20th, full squad Feb 24th Atlanta Braves- Feb 20th, full squad on Feb 23rd Chicago Cubs- Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 23rd Cincinatti Reds- Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 23rd Colorado Rockies- Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 26th Florida Marlins- Feb 20th, full squad on Feb 24th Houston Astros- Feb 20th, full squad on Feb 24th Los Angeles Dodgers- Feb 21st, full squad on Feb 26th Milwaukee Brewers- Feb 22nd, full squad on Feb 27th New York Mets- Feb 20th, full squad on Feb 25th Philadelphia Phillies- Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 23rd Pittsburgh Pirates- Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 23rd St. Louis Cardinals- Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 23rd San Diego Padres- Feb 19th, full squad on Feb 25th San Francisco Giants- Feb 18th, full squad on Feb 23rd Washington Nationals- Feb 21st, full squad on Feb 26th