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Andruw Jones spring training mean anything?


southsider2k5

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QUOTE (qwerty @ Mar 18, 2010 -> 11:39 AM)
Hands down rios has the best arm out of our outfielders. He has been terrific in that aspect since he established himself in the league.

 

 

Arm strength? Yes. Accuracy? Not sure. Jordan Danks...he of the outfield assist to home plate a couple times this spring should also vie for the Spring Training Pyrite award.

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QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 18, 2010 -> 01:19 PM)
I really like the arm extension he is getting so far this spring, he looks to be staying back with his hips a bit more than in previous years where he cleared them almost immediately.

I'll clear your hips almost immediately.

Edited by Steve9347
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QUOTE (heirdog @ Mar 18, 2010 -> 03:35 PM)
Arm strength? Yes. Accuracy? Not sure. Jordan Danks...he of the outfield assist to home plate a couple times this spring should also vie for the Spring Training Pyrite award.

I saw Danks make a perfect throw from home to center. He's just a tremendous athlete altogether.

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Here's an article on Jones written a year ago. It could have been written today. Don't get you hopes too high is all I'll say.

 

March 10, 2009|BILL PLASCHKE

FROM SURPRISE, ARIZ. — "Are you saying you're sorry?"

 

I'm standing in a spacious Texas Rangers clubhouse, on a gorgeous spring morning, speaking to a trim and talkative Andruw Jones.

 

 

 

His legs are back. His smile is back. Even his -- gasp -- swing might be back.

 

 

Later this day at Surprise Stadium, he will stroke through a fastball from new Dodger Claudio Vargas, driving it off the left-field bullpen roof for his first home run of the spring.

 

A nasty bite of the hand that still feeds him $22 million.

 

Haunting Frank McCourt still.

 

Jones seems to know this, he seems to sense that no matter what happens, last season will follow him like a swatch of toilet paper stuck to his cleats. He spends the last 20 minutes of his morning conversation hinting at remorse and regret, and I finally just have to know.

 

"Are you saying you're sorry?"

 

Are you sorry for showing up at spring training looking like a blue manatee? Sorry for not working hard enough to fix that weight? Sorry for ripping the fans who booed you for that weight? Sorry for asking to be put on the disabled list so you could disappear from those boos?

 

The Dodgers gave you $36.2 million, and in exchange you gave them a batting average of .158, three home runs and 25 extra pounds, and so you're finally sorry?

 

Andruw Jones pauses. He looks down. He wraps his fingers tight around the handle of a bat. He nods.

 

"Yes, you could put it that way," he says. "Yes, in fact, put it exactly that way."

 

"Put it what way?"

 

"I am sorry I didn't stand up to my reputation," he says. "I am sorry for what I put everyone through. I am sorry I did not make it work."

 

A couple of hours later Monday, upstairs in a spartan suite, moments after Jones hit his home run, I convey this apology to Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti.

 

Now it is Colletti's turn to pause, to look down, to tighten his grip.

 

"Humbleness is a nice trait," he finally says, and leaves it at that.

 

::

 

The first thing you notice about Andruw Jones this spring is the one thing you don't notice.

 

No belly.

 

"He showed up missing a boiler," a Rangers official says.

 

"Like night and day," Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo says.

 

Jones smiles; it seems all he does here is smile.

 

"Oh, I lost quite a few pounds," he says. "Somewhere in the 20s."

 

Now he loses the weight. Now he hits the home run. Now he is being paid $500,000 plus incentives, the deal of the year if he performs. Wonderful.

 

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QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Mar 18, 2010 -> 07:31 PM)
that's awesome. i'm hoping for big things but it's certainly a wait-and-see situation.

 

after spending last week in arizona, i can tell you that the sox brass is very high on Andruw. I myself am skeptical but the Sox expect him to have a very good year and think that his spring is definitely for real and a sign of things to come this season.

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QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Mar 18, 2010 -> 06:18 AM)
I don't care what the metrics say. I absolutely refuse to believe this.
His metrics were pretty good, not that great. His fielding percentage was high, but I've been told over and over that is misleading, especially for an outfielder. His range factor was definitely below par.

 

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Jones will have a lot to prove when he steps to the plate for real. I know several Ranger fans and they despise the guy.

We shall see.

I'd love nothing more than he to be the surprise player in baseball. Good luck Mr. Jones.

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QUOTE (greg775 @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 01:52 AM)
Jones will have a lot to prove when he steps to the plate for real. I know several Ranger fans and they despise the guy.

We shall see.

I'd love nothing more than he to be the surprise player in baseball. Good luck Mr. Jones.

Really, they despise the guy? I'm surprised. It's not like the Rangers gave him a ton of money or anything. Did he throw a bottle at them?

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QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 07:00 AM)
Really, they despise the guy? I'm surprised. It's not like the Rangers gave him a ton of money or anything. Did he throw a bottle at them?

 

Sox fans despise guys like Andy Gonzalez for a few months of horrible baseball on a terrible team at the league minimum. Its not like we are any different.

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QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 08:15 AM)
Sox fans despise guys like Andy Gonzalez for a few months of horrible baseball on a terrible team at the league minimum. Its not like we are any different.

 

Andy Gonzalez was legendarily bad. Andruw Jones actually had a pretty decent season for Texas last year.

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QUOTE (bighurt574 @ Mar 24, 2010 -> 03:57 PM)
Spring Training doesn't always mean much, but all things being equal, I'd sure rather have a guy go into Opening Day on a hot streak as opposed to a cold streak.

That's probably true, then again, DeWayne Wise was a star in spring training last season.

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