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Justin Ruchti: Update
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Location: Blogs . |
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| Posted by: Content Administrator |
3/12/2007 |
He graced the 2003 Rice Baseball refrigerator magnet schedule in what may have been the worst hive-five ever memorialized by a Canon. He knocked in the winning run in Omaha to eliminate the University of Texas, driving a slider up the middle off of current Oakland A’s closer Huston Street. He was the most valuable player of the 2003 national championship team. He called pitches for four first-round draft picks, twice guiding the Rice pitching staff to sub-3 team earned run averages. Now he’s a catcher in the minor league system of the Seattle Mariners. He’s hanging out in spring training in Arizona and he’s taken the time to check in with RUBPA. He is Justin Ruchti.
For anyone that’s ever gone through minor league spring training you know it’s a lot like that Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day: you do the exact same thing every day without alteration until, magically, you break camp. Once you break camp you do the same everyday again, only this time the wins and losses count.
I arrived in Arizona on Sunday, March 4th for physicals. In my previous spring trainings we were required to run 1 mile in 6 minutes and 30 seconds. I trained for the run this off-season until I had run 1 mile in about 6:20. I figured if I could do it once I could do it again and I stopped training for it. It turns out we had a 300-yard shuttle this year! I made it through unscathed and “passed” the rest of the physical with flying colors.
We meet on the left field line at 9:30 for announcements and proceed to go through a series of fundamental drills. The drills aren’t so bad and, with so many young high school kids and Latin players, they’re very much needed. The downside to spring training drills is running between the various fields. We’ll be working on bunt defense on field 1, for instance. When the bullhorn sounds we sprint to field 175! It really does seem that bad sometimes.
As I’ve said, spring training is mostly uneventful. The powers that be already know where 80% of the guys are reporting. For them, spring training is a matter of getting in shape mentally and physically for the season. For the other 20% it’s a chance to earn of spot. The trouble is that, with few exceptions, you don’t know whether you’re in the 20% or the 80%.
Interesting things do sometimes happen in spring training. The other day I was catching live batting practice for the big leaguers. Live batting practice is where the pitchers throw all of their pitches but they tell the hitters what is coming. Since the hitters know what’s coming the pitcher usually has a protective screen, or L-screen, in front of the mound. I was catching Jaime Moyer and Ichiro was hitting. A few pitches into batting practice I caught a fastball and threw it back right into the net of the L-screen. No one even batted an eye, as this happens from time to time. I caught the next pitch and just barely missed dinging the crossbar of the L-screen. Moyer and the pitching coach jumped and kind of stared at me like, “Who’s this clown?” I was just about ready to grab my bag and sprint over to field 175!
Seriously though, I feel great and I’m looking forward to breaking camp. I think I’ll be headed to double A in West Tennessee. My lovely wife will be joining me once her teaching duties end. I hope you enjoyed reading about the monotony of spring training. If I manage to irritate any more big leaguers I’ll be sure to let you know.
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