Nick Torres is working hard this spring to make an impression on Padres management. By Owen Main

Spring training is a wonderland for baseball geeks. For me, one of the great things about this trip (my third) was getting up early and getting out to the various fields, trying to find guys who are less-known.

This year, I tried to track down Cal Poly guys. I was successful on three out of five. Next time (I tell myself now), I’ll stay out not as late, wake up earlier, and get to see all the guys I go for.

Nick Torres was an interesting study. A fourth-round pick after his junior year at Cal Poly last season, Torres was pretty easily found shagging balls in right field and taking big swings.

The next day, I found Torres on a back field at Camelback, playing a High-A game against the White Sox. When I didn’t see him go into the field in the top of the 7th inning, my heart kind of sank. I figured he’d been replaced and I’d missed him. Never to fear, Nick came up as the Designated Hitter two innings later. He put a few cuts on balls, but White Sox pitchers were allergic to the strike zone and Nick, like about four other Padres that inning, walked.

It will be interesting to see if Torres’ gap power can turn into something more at the next level and to see how his game translates to the next level.

A quick note about the Padres’ facility in Peoria: 

I was really impressed with the back fields. They aren’t secluded like many other teams’ fields are. The access is really great, and things are done with fans in mind. There are lots of volunteer ushers and people who know what’s going on, the Padres’ building is open for anyone to go into and pick up rosters, etc… , and everyone at the facility just seemed a little more casual and accommodating to fans than a few other places. I really liked it.

OK, back to Torres.

There’s still a lot of work to be done this spring, but it’s actually possible (though not likely), depending on how they do over the next weeks and months, that both Torres and former Cal Poly teammate Jimmy Allen could play for Class-A teams in the California League for their respective organizations. If they end up there, who’s in with my on a road trip to Lake Elsinore or Rancho Cucamonga?

Photos by Owen Main

For the past four years, Jimmy Allen has been a staple at third base for Cal Poly. This Spring, Allen is trying to make an impact in the Dodgers minor league camp.

The first thing he’ll have to do is get comfortable at a different position. At rookie-level Ogden last season, Allen played 49 games at second base and just 2 at the hot corner. In fielding drills, Allen was one of three players at his level taking grounders at second base.

Trying to track a minor league guy down is like trying to chase a beagle on a scent. They aren’t super available and I didn’t want to pester a guy who was in the hot Arizona sun for probably 8-10 hours a day.

Sometime, I’ll catch up with Jimmy and do a proper interview. In the mean time, here are a few galleries to hold you over.

Photos by Owen Main

MMMMmmmm. Puig home runs. Against the Giants.

It’s baseball season, you guys!

Yes, it’s still spring. But with Mike Krukow’s comments from earlier in the year and the level that the Dodgers are counting on their young Cuban outfielder, isn’t it nice to see Puig take one out against the Orange and Black? The bat-flip (or lack thereof) was still in spring training form. Maybe by next week, it’ll be a little saucier.

Maybe we could drive something like this to Arizona. By Bull-Doser (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

All else being equal, I’m pretty sure we’re going to jam into an RV in about six weeks and get out to Phoenix.

Camelback Ranch is the destination.

After two consecutive years when spring training was a must-do kind of thing, my wife had our first kid in 2013. Spring training in 2014 didn’t happen.

2015 is shaping up to be a different story, though. I have plenty of spring training stories. Perhaps I’ll count them down in the weeks to come, but I want to hear other people’s stories.

How many of you have been to spring training? What tips do you have? I want to hear others’ stories too. Please post below.

In the mean time, I’ll be gearing up and getting ready to go. Phoenix or bust.

The Dodgers will be at their spring home in less than six weeks. By Nicopanico, via Wikimedia Commons

With spring training fast-approaching, Dustin Nosler of Dodgers Digest came on the podcast to talk about lots of things Dodgers-related. Among noteworthy topics are Corey Seager, Julio Urias, and what depth the Dodgers have at the back of the starting rotation. 

You can find Dugout Blues, a podcast with Dustin and Jared Massey that focuses on the Dodgers, by clicking here.

I’ve been three times. Once in Vero Beach in 2004. Then again in Arizona in 2012 and 2013. Guys weekends are really fun, and covering the Dodgers is something I’ve always liked to do. I had the time. I had the money. The website benefited. There was no downside.

That was before the kid.

It’s a lame cliche — couples with kids lose their independence. Their money. Their lives. My kid was born in August of 2013, but March of that year was the last time I used preseason baseball as a great excuse to have a great time.

Along with Yasiel Puig, Hyun-jin Ryu was also an exciting rookie in the spring of 2013. By Owen Main

That spring, Yasiel Puig hit .517. Luis Cruz had more homers that Spring and the same number of RBI’s as Puig. “Cochito” looked like he was going to stick around at third base for the boys in blue. In the end, it was Puig who stuck around (Cruz is now in Japan), but the brief Cruz firework was what Spring training is kind of all about — hope and excitement about the upcoming season.

The baseball is, of course, only part of making the Spring Arizona pilgrimage. The going out, the restaurants, and having fun with buddies is a huge part of it, too. I won’t detail in this post the debauchery that I’ve witnessed in two trips to .

Two moments stick out to me about previous trips, though, that really make me want to go back.

The first happened in my first trip to Dodgertown in Florida. I made the trip across the state from where I lived to Vero Beach. I arrived nice and early at 8:30 AM. I was behind the ropes when the low minors guys came out to warm up. I watched them stretch as I heard their foul early-morning wind being broken. As the actual game was about to get under way on the main field at Holman Stadium, I walked my way over. As I neared the stadium I looked more closely at the gentleman who was walking next to me.

Spend enough time around Dodgers spring training, and you’ll be sure to see legends like Rick Monday or Tommy Lasorda (left). By Owen Main

It was Rick Monday.

I briefly talked to him about being a Dodger fan on the East coast. He mentioned that MLB.com was broadcasting the radio feeds in what was an early iteration of MLB.tv. That kind of access was “imagined” for Camelback Ranch — and it gets close — but there really was nothing like Dodgertown in Florida.

The second thing that makes me want to go back is, randomly, Jerry Hairston.

I was a lowly web blogger looking to hunt down a pretty standard-faire preview story for the 2013 Dodgers. While other players weren’t as friendly, Hairston’s demeanor and friendly attitude was a port in the unfamiliar ocean of the Dodgers’ clubhouse. He answered all of my questions, was engaged with what I was asking him, and had relevant things to say.

I know he’s an analyst for the team’s station now, and missing what he has to say is one of the reasons I get so ticked that I can’t get the Dodgers on television in San Luis Obispo, even with an MLB.TV subscription.

After Hairston, both A.J. Ellis and Mark Ellis were very professional and (dare I say?) friendly as well — something major leaguers don’t always have to be, especially when I’m sure my questions were the worst.

All that said, whatever insight I gained from watching the club for the better part of 4 games in March was useful throughout the remainder of the season. With so many questions about the upcoming season, I’m sure I could suck a little less at interviewing some players.

So, the fact that I’m going to write something about the team every day this year could be a good reason to go to Arizona once again.

Dodgers Spring training begins March 4 against the White Sox at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. 

I feel a little disenfranchised. And no, this is not a sob story.

I’m heading out to Arizona in a matter of weeks, to engage Spring Training and rounds and rounds of beer. I’ll be attempting this feat with good friends. Something I’m thankful for — this is my first time participating in the classic.

There are no bad seats at spring training, especially if you’re trying to get your tan on. By Owen Main

But as you can imagine, the majority of the nuts going are Dodgers fans. It’s something I don’t have a problem with. I just wish I didn’t feel so Khloe Kardashian about it. Let me explain.

I am a long standing Halos fan. I grew up glorifying at best, above average players, like they were perennial All-Stars. Gary DiSarcina, Dick Schofield, Dante Bichette, Chili Davis, and Devon White, were a few. Just say the name Wally Joyner and I shiver. That name alone invokes the thickest bond between brothers. That went a little too far…

But no, seriously, I’m heading to Arizona to watch a bunch of Dodgers games against crap opponents like the San Diego Padres. I’d rather watch lizard porn. Can you imagine the Padres putting up anything more than a run against the Dodgers pitching staff?

Yet despite this hard reality, I am looking forward to the experience more than I am the actual games themselves. It’s about brotherhood. And it’s about drinking. It’s not about the Halos of Orange County, hence the Khloe Kardashian comparison.

In case you’ve forgotten, this nation has a deep history in the art of intoxication. From Napa Valley to the Whisky Trail, America knows how to party.

I’m unsure whether I’ll remember much of the experience. So before I go just know this my darling reader: I am the beer pong champion. I am the Kim Kardashian of beer pong. And I am Wally Joyner’s brother.

Spring training is a time for fans to bask in Arizona sunshine that makes the winter seem like a different memory. Fans from all over the country flock to Arizona and Florida to get an up-close and personal look at their favorite players practicing things like bunting, run-downs, and pitchers covering first. If you are a baseball junkie, it’s a dream come true. According to some of the players though, this one has been too long.

Veterans like Mark Ellis (above) and Jerry Hairston agree that spring training is too long. By Owen Main

“This year it’s way too long,” said Dodgers second baseman Mark Ellis. In his 11th season, Ellis has resorted to mind games to keep from getting complacent during the spring.

“The thing you’ve got to guard against is being bored. You can’t get bored in spring training. You get to a point where you get tired of just playing meaningless games but you have to kind of trick yourself a little bit and realize that you’ve got to keep going and keep getting ready for the regular season.”

In his 16th year, Jerry Hairston agrees that the preseason is just too lengthy.

“It’s been a long spring training,” said Hairston. “It actually needs to be shorter, but with the [World Baseball Classic], it was even longer… . I was just talking to veteran guys like myself, Brandon League, Arron Harang, [Chris Capuano], all those guys. It’s been tough because when guys have played in the playoffs, played in World Series, they know what’s at stake and when it’s the big leagues, when it’s time. In March you just want to get yourself ready, Make sure you’re healthy, and ready to go. It’s been a long spring training.”

This year’s spring training was extended due to the World Baseball Classic. No baseball player likes their routine to be altered, but for many teams, players were not in camp for an extended period of time during spring training. Like preseason games in the National Football League, the theme of spring training seems to be as much about keeping players healthy as it is getting players ready.

“The one thing you don’t want to do is grind during spring training, said Hairston. “I’ve learned that from veteran guys. Guys like Cal Ripken, Delino DeShields, Brady Anderson. Make sure you don’t grind through spring training. Get your work in, make sure you play hard, but don’t grind. The grind is the 162 and hopefully the playoffs and world series, so I make sure I have fun, enjoy my time, and make sure that as the season starts approaching, get yourself mentally ready, whether it’s music — throw in some Enya every once in a while — get your mind right for the season.”

Whatever they’re listening to, Dodgers fans hope that the spring doesn’t bring any additional injuries. Hanley Ramirez, the Dodgers starting shortstop, injured his thumb in the World Baseball Classic. Ramirez may be out 8 weeks, and that is just the type of injury the Dodgers would like to avoid any more of.

“Yeah, we’re ready [for the season to start],” said Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis. “We’re fine tuning, hoping we all get out of camp healthy, unscathed this last week, and we’ll be ready for the Giants opening day.”

Another Fansmanship podcast, you say?

For the first time in many months, Luke, Andy and Owen get back together to talk about the upcoming baseball season, the NCAA Tournament, and NFL free agency.

Camelback Ranch is one of the best places to watch your favorite prepare for the season ahead. By Ray Ambler (www.raphotos.com)

In this day and age, three and a half weeks into spring training means most baseball fans have the same thoughts circulating throughout their head: “How am I going to set up my fantasy team this year?;” “I hope my team hasn’t suffered a devastating injury;” or my personal favorite, “Last year may have been bad, but thank god I’m not a Cubs fan; at least my team still has hope of winning.” Don’t worry Los Angeles baseball fans, because over the last two years the Dodgers and Angels have combined to spend over $600 million on player contracts, while also agreeing to nearly$10 billion dollars in television deals, proving their respective desire to win immediately. Haven’t had any time to keep up with the Dodgers and Angels this spring? Worry not, for I am here to provide you with a reminder of what has gone on since the start of spring training:

Dodgers:

• The Dodgers still have eight starting pitchers, which is not a bad thing. Last year they used nine starting pitchers, and no team has gone through 162 games using the same five starting pitchers since the 2003 Mariners with Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer, Ryan Franklin, Gil Meche and Joel Pineiro. Management should make every attempt to keep as many as possible. Injuries are bound to occur throughout the season and the saying goes, “You can never have enough starting pitching.”
• Clayton Kershaw, who is coming off back-to-back seasons in which he finished in the top two for Cy Young voting, has thrown 13 innings, giving up 19 hits and eight earned runs during spring training. While these stats seem alarming, last I checked it was still spring training. You have nothing to worry about Dodger fans.
• On March 1, Carl Crawford was shut down from any fielding or hitting for at least a week for what he described as tightness and soreness in his arm, rather than pain. Unfortunately, this is a result from his Tommy John surgery last August, causing some people around baseball to wonder whether or not he will be ready for spring training. As of March 7, Crawford has been cleared to start hitting and throwing, but he won’t return to a Cactus League game for at least another week, and a return by Opening Day is still up in the air.
• Big League Chew announced Matt Kemp will be featured on the package of their iconic bubble gum brand. This will make Kemp the first active professional athlete to be featured on the package of gum that’s become synonymous with the baseball youth; part of the sales will go to Kemps charity, Kemp’s Kids.
• Zach Grienke was sent back to Los Angeles with a sore arm to talk to the Dodgers’ team doctor. Uh oh.

There are also eight players in the Dodgers organization participating on six different teams in the World Baseball Classic:

–   Mexico: Luis Cruz, Adrian Gonzalez

–   Puerto Rico: Andres Santiago (minors), Mario Santiago (minors)

–   Brazil: Felipe Burin (minors)

–   Dominican Republic: Hanley Ramirez

–   Italy: Nick Punto

–   Venezuela: Ronald Belisario

For constant updates on the Dodgers throughout the day, I recommend following Bill Plunkett on twitter @billplunKettocr. He is the Dodger’s beat writer for the Orange County Register and provides phenomenal information on a daily basis.

Angels:

• The latest high-profile acquisition for the Angels, Josh Hamilton, made his spring training debut on March 2. He went 0-for-3 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but has since gone 5-for-7 with one home run and two RBIs. Of course, fans and critics need to keep in mind that his performance during spring training—whether it’s good or bad—will not reflect how a he performs during the regular season, especially with how unorthodox of a personality he has proven to have.
• For some reason a big deal was made when the Angels announced they had renewed Mike Trout’s contract to a four percent increase from the league minimum, meaning Trout will make $510,000 instead of $490,000.  I certainly believe Trout deserves a much larger raise solely based on the only season in his major league career; however, the kid is only 21 years old and even he doesn’t seem to mind, clearly understanding he will have a very long career filled with plenty of paychecks.
• The best hitter the post-steroid era has seen to date, Albert Pujols, had surgery in October on his right knee and made his spring debut on March 5going 0-for-3. He hasn’t played since, but he assured Angel fans that he would be more than prepared for the regular season, regardless how many at-bats he gets in spring training.
• Four individuals—Ernesto Frieri, Kevin Jepsen, Scott Downs and Sean Burnett—have emerged as potential candidates to take over the closer role, as Ryan Madson will likely start the season on the disabled list. It appears Frieri will get the opportunity to start the season, with playing time probably dictated by performance.

There are also three players in the Angels organization playing on three different teams in the World Baseball Classic:

–   Dominican Republic: Erick Aybar

–   Mexico: Efren Navarro

–   Puerto Rico: Fernando Cabrera

As I mentioned before with Bill Plunkett, if you would like to receive updates on the Angels throughout the day, I recommend following Bill’s counterpart at the OC Register, Jeff Fletcher on twitter @JeffFletcherOCR.