BRADENTON, Fla. -- It appeared the pitch had a bit more run than Henry Davis expected, jolting his glove out late to his left to catch Bubba Chandler’s offering. Davis paused before tossing the ball back.
“Two-seam?” he asks.
Chandler nods then receives Davis’ throw. He goes through his delivery again and delivers another fastball, this time hitting the target Davis set.
Bubba Chandler pitching, Henry Davis catching. When is that the MLB battery? pic.twitter.com/8T65PkO49V
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) February 22, 2022
There are countless little moments like that in Pirate City every spring training. Moments that help build familiarity between players and help them prepare for the ever nearing opening day.
I “keep hearing everyone count down the days,” Anthony Solometo said. “It’s really crazy, exciting feeling that. Knowing this was something I watched growing up and I’m actually a part of it.”
For Davis, Chandler, Solometo and many the other 2021 draft picks, now seven months removed being drafted by the Pirates, they’re nearing their first opening day.
And for Chandler, Solometo, Lonnie White Jr. and the high school draft picks from that class, it will also be their first competition outside of the Pirate City fields.
“As excited as I am, I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet,” Solometo said. “I think once I get into this first game. I’ve been waiting for this game for five months since I’ve been in Pirate City to get that first game against a live team, against another jersey. I think the second that day comes, I’ll know it’s real. It’s finally time to be here.”
In previous seasons, most, if not all, of the draft picks would have played in short season ball, a first step to get acclimated to what a professional baseball routine is like. This draft class didn’t get that opportunity because of minor-league contraction, which resulted in the Pirates losing a rookie level club in Bristol and a Class A club in West Virginia. Both teams would have been a natural first step for those newcomers.
Davis did get to play a little for Class High-A Greensboro, but he suffered an oblique injury after just six games. He has fully recovered from it, but it did force him to miss the rest of the season.
“It was just a little bit to show me what’s out there,” Davis said about his Greensboro experience. “[I’m] ready to get back out there.”
Almost all of the picks who signed did appear in complex games in Pirate City, giving them a multi-week preview for what an everyday workload could be. In Chandler’s case, that small sample gave him a chance to reevaluate how he should handle a two-way player workload, collaborating with coaches to give him some more downtown.
“If I need to take a break from hitting that day, need to take a break from the weight room, they let me. Really no breaks for pitching, but hitting, fielding, weight room, they’ll let me have a day off.
“Haven’t asked for one yet [this spring],” he continued, cracking a smile. “I’m young.”
Bubba Chandler taking some swings. Watch all the way through to hear the *thunk* from him hitting the wall by the batting cages in left pic.twitter.com/nopSxNIKF3
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) February 21, 2022
It’s a lesson and an experience that a player would have picked up in affiliated ball, but one that wasn’t completely lost in the 2021 realignment.
“They did get an opportunity to come in here and we ramped them up a little bit,” minor-league hitting coordinator Jonny Tucker said. “There’s no experience like the actual experience, but it’s like you go to Baskin Robbins. You get a taste of the chocolate chip cookie dough. You don’t necessarily need to have the whole bowl to have a taste of it.”
That taste is beneficial for all, but for pitchers, the first full year can often be one of self discovery, and there is no substitute for it.
“I think the biggest thing is the quicker they can identify certain traits about themselves, the better off we are,” pitching coordinator Josh Hopper said about what he hopes the new pitchers learn this season. “I want them to begin to understand who they are, what’s their routine, what’s your plan? Even if we can get even those simple three down, that’s a huge accomplishment for the first year.”
What Hopper described can sometimes take years for pitchers to figure out. It can take even longer for prep pitchers when compared to college arms. He and the Pirates coaches do have the benefit of working with some driven young players are willing to experiment, both with drills and routines.
“I’m doing everything I can, from eating, drinking water, doing stretches,” Solometo said. “Everything I can do to speed up that process [to get to the majors] as much as possible. I’ll do it every single day.”
If Solometo is looking for ideas to get better, Davis is definitely the guy to go to. Chandler referred to him as the “Gordon Ramsey” of the group since he is the chef (protein pancakes and spinach and pepper omelets are a couple of the go-tos ), and as the former collegiate athlete living with a couple of teenagers, he is the one in charge of the group, making sure they’re putting themselves in position to reach their potential.
It can range from him convincing Solometo to join him as one of the first people at Pirate City to something small, like making sure the apartment is at the optimal temperature to sleep at night.
“Everything I am, everything that anybody is, you learn from somebody,” Davis said. “I try to take bits and pieces. Anything that can help me be better, or has the potential to, I’ll try it.”
When they’re on the field, Davis is continuing to try to build those relationships with his pitchers. Solometo is working on his delivery, making sure he keeps his heel on the rubber longer when he pushes off rather than hopping off the rubber.
In addition to his offensive work, because he was a multi-sport athlete in high school, Chandler’s secondary stuff is a little more raw. It’s why the slider has been a focus for him, dating back to the pitching camp the Pirates held in December.
“Whenever I’m in good rhythm and sync, the slider’s great,” Chandler said. “When I’m not, it’s a cement mixer. Whenever I do find that right rhythm, it’s a plus pitch.”
These tune ups and areas of focus have been the first step of last year’s all important draft class for months now. Soon, that development will finally come in games, and Pirates fans will finally get to see what those four players with first-round grades can do.
“I’m amped up,” Chandler said. “The offseason was long. I’m chomping at the bits. Playing baseball is fun. Playing in games is better.”
