MLB Spring Training News and Notes 2021

YTF

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People with Grade 2 oblique strains don’t heal in a week.
Yep. You know how some seasons it seems like we have an injury of the year where a high number of players seem to have the same injury? A few years ago the oblique strain seemed to be the "it" injury and IIRC many of those guys had return dates pushed back several times and others returning to the DL after returning too soon.
 

The Gray Eagle

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Aug 1, 2001
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Tatis Jr. out mid-game with some sort of left shoulder injury. Walked off after throwing to 1B. Panic.
Padres fans can exhale:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2021/03/24/tatis-jr-feeling-better-could-return-soon-to-padres-lineup/43479565/
“He’s feeling really good today. In fact he was lobbying to get in the lineup today, so I thought that was very encouraging,” manager Jayce Tingler said Wednesday during a videoconference from Peoria, Arizona.

“He’s going to have a good work day today and we’ll kind of see where it goes. I think everybody’s kind of expecting him to be back in the lineup in the next day or two. Very encouraging news," he said...

Tingler said after Tuesday’s game that Tatis has been dealing with a minor shoulder issue for a few years.

The manager said Wednesday that the Padres need to stay on top of the situation.

“I’m proud of the fact that ‘Tati’ said something. Realistically, if we’re in-season, he probably doesn’t say anything and he continues to play through it,” Tingler said.
 

Heating up in the bullpen

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Nov 24, 2007
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Pittsboro NC
Nick Anderson, Eloy Jimenez, Kirby Yates, George Springer... that's a bunch of long-term injuries piling up at the end of ST. Feels like the Sox should bubble wrap the 26 and send them up to Boston for the start of the season before anybody gets hurt.
 

Heating up in the bullpen

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Nov 24, 2007
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Great story given his path to the majors.
MLB career not fantastic to date but has developed a new slider apparently and his spring numbers* are impressive to say the least.
13.2 IP 18K 0 BB 1ER 0.44 WHIP.

*yes its only spring numbers but still..
Begs the question, what path to the majors?
Dobnak grew up outside Pittsburgh in South Park Township. Big Pirates fan. Graduated South Park HS in 2013 (his team, ranked 7th in PA that year, lost in the quarterfinals of the state tournament). Attended D2 Alderson Broaddus University in Phillippi WV. After the 2015 season, he pitched for the Front Royal Cardinals of the Valley League, a collegiate summer wooden bat league (not nearly as prestigious as the Cape Cod League) in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
He went undrafted upon completion of his college career in 2017, but was signed by the Utica Unicorns of the four-team United Shore Professional Baseball League (Detroit area). The Unicorns' manager, former big leaguer Jim Essian, knew about Dobnak because Essian's son played at Alderson Broaddus when Dobnak was a freshman and sophomore. Within a couple months, the Twins signed him without ever seeing him in person, just from YouTube videos of Unicorns games.
That signing sent him back to Appalachia, to the Elizabethton (TN) Twins of the Appy League (R). Then called up to the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kernels of the Single-A Midwest League that same year. He spent all of 2018 in Cedar Rapids.
2019 was meteoric. He began the year with the High A Fort Myers Miracle, moved up to AA Pensacola, then AAA Rochester, and ended the season with the Twins where he went 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA over 28 innings in 9 games (5 starts). Last year he went 6-4 with a 4.05 ERA over 46 innings in 10 starts.
He used to drive for Lyft and Uber to supplement his meager minor league pay. Now he's a millionaire.

Here are a couple of article links:
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/joe-starkey/2019/09/12/randy-dobnak-twins-minnesota-al-central-race-mlb/stories/201909120095
https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/randy-dobnak-probable-great-american-hero/
 

DeadlySplitter

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Oct 20, 2015
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I have to imagine he clear waivers (after DFA, the next step) with that contract.

If so, Rangers could continue to see if he ever rebounds at AAA Round Rock or just release him outright.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Jan 23, 2009
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Maine
I have to imagine he clear waivers (after DFA, the next step) with that contract.

If so, Rangers could continue to see if he ever rebounds at AAA Round Rock or just release him outright.
They can't send him to the minors without his consent since he's got at least five years of service time (he has 6+). I can't imagine he'd accept such an assignment. Not when he'd be getting all the money owed him anyway, and could seek out another job on a big league roster as a free agent.
 

BigSoxFan

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May 31, 2007
47,088
Looks like another blister issue for Ohtani. Should really just be a full-time hitter at this point. Would rather see him play the field as well than pitch and get bombed/hurt all the time.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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May 5, 2017
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The package Cleveland got for Lindor wasn't flashy, but if they get 5 years of above average play from Gimenez, anything out of the two other prospects and flip Rosario yet for something that's at least useful, that's a good haul for one year of a star who wouldn't sign an extension in his pre-arb years, let alone this close to free agency (besides the fact Cleveland couldn't afford that extension now). The Mets could be regretting this trade by October, if not sooner.