Cactus League Games 14-15, Royals at Mariners; Mariners at D-Backs
Maurer vs. Shields, 1:05pm; Paxton vs. Corbin, 7:10pm
Split squad, plus a prime-time TV game on the docket today.
One of the best things about these split squad games is the chance to see some players we haven’t had a chance to see in the high minors. In the recent game against the Dodgers (Montero’s 2-HR game), we got a look at top-10 M’s prospect Tyler Marlette, for example. Last year, we got to see Chris Taylor or Taijuan Walker.
Today’s early game features a related-yet-distinct phenomenon. Your starting 1B is Jeffrey Zimmerman, a 19th-round draft pick last year out of Northern Illinois University. Zimmerman played three years for the Huskies, and left as a second-team all-MAC conference player – he played in 40 some-odd games for Pulaski in the Appy league last year, again hitting .300 and knocking 5 HRs. This is the most I’ve ever written about Zimmerman, and it may be one of the few times I do so. But hey, Zimmerman’s starting this contest, and he’ll stand in against James Shields.
“Who cares? Why does it matter if a 19th-rounder starts a game?” It doesn’t, of course. But that argument proves a bit too much. You can say the same thing about any of these games. In a baseball sense, Zimmerman hasn’t really existed – he’s somewhere in bbref’s minor league stats, near the ex-Ranger all-star Jeff Zimmerman and his brother, the ex-Mariner reliever Jordan Zimmerman. Today, Jeffrey A. Zimmerman exists in some not-terribly meaningful sense. May you destroy a Shields change-up the way Carlos Peguero used to do.
Line-up, gm 1:
1: Almonte, CF
2: Seager, 3B
3: Cano, 2B
4: Smoak, DH
5: Franklin, SS
6: Jones, RF
7: Avery, LF
8: Zimmerman, Hell Yeah
9: Buck, C
SP: Brandon Maurer
And the Game 2 line-up:
1: Miller, SS
2: Bloomquist, 2B
3: Romero, LF
4: Morrison, 1B
5: Montero, DH
6: Saunders, RF
7: Zunino, C
8: Chavez, CF
9: Triunfel, 3B
SP: Paxton
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Is this game being broadcast anywhere other than paying through MLB’s Gameday? I’m checking radio stations but not finding anything.
Not sure about the radio but the prime time game doesn’t seem to a TV game anywhere.
Radio 710 is on now
Looks like the game isn’t on MLB.tv either…
Man, it’s only spring training but – Almonte isn’t exactly making a case for himself to make the 25 man.
You can’t steal first, Abe.