Tigers Blog

Category: Quick hits: 2009 spring training

Pitchers to throw BP on Thursday

More news and notes from spring training Wednesday:

1. More important than anything that went on Wednesday is what will take place on Thursday. Pitchers will throw live batting practice for the first time - something not all hitters like.

"It's just a matter of hitters taking the right approach," said manager Jim Leyland.

"It's more for the eyes than the swing," said Placido Polanco. "I just work on timing."

2. Gerald Laird caught Ryan Perry's bullpen session on Wednesday. His opinion? "Easy cheese," said Laird. "He's very impressive. Electric fastball, as everyone knows, but he has a really good slider and changeup, too.

"Stuff-wise, it's all good. The ball just jumps out of his hand."

3. Lou Whitaker has lost weight, 20 pounds in the last two years. Looks good.

"Almost down to your playing weight," he was told.

"But not down to my playing age," Whitaker replied.

4. Pitching coach Rick Knapp used a term that Leyland's not heard before. "He said Fernando Rodney has a fast hand," said Leyland. "I've heard of quick arm, but not fast hand. They're probably the same thing."

Said Knapp, "they aren't. A fast hand is exactly that. When Rodney throws his change-up, his hand snaps so quickly, it's a blur. That's a fast hand."

5. By the way, the special mirror Knapp has ordered as a pitching tool is expected in soon. Leyland said he's never been a "gimmick guy", but with the way Knapp has described how he'll use the mirror - for pitchers to view technique faster than on video - he's not labeling this a gimmick.

"When you hear Rick's explanation for its purpose, it makes a lot of sense," said the manager.

6. Of Thursday's live batting practice, Leyland described what he meant by a "right approach" for hitters this way: "I understand they don't want to get all banged up this early. But most of the time, if you take an aggressive approach to it, you have less of a chance at something going wrong.

"If you're defensive about it, there's a better chance of something happening.

In other words, guys, take your hacks.

7. Pitchers went through a "knee to knee" drill - catchers shortening the distance between them and the mound, then positioning the glove on one knee for several pitches, then the other knee.

"It's a concentration tool at getting the ball down," said Leyland.

8. One of the best at throwing knee-to-knee on Wednesday was Ni (pronunciation: Knee). No joke, Fu-Te Ni, the Taiwanese lefty with technicolor gloves consistently hit the glove during the drill.

"I just told him to throw to his name," said Leyland.

9. Matt Treanor stat, for what it's worth: Career batting average .237. But a career average with runners in scoring position of .284.

10. Today's 'Where is He Now? 'Mike Maroth, in camp as an invitee with Toronto after surgery to repair a frayed area in his left shoulder last May. On Maroth's website, he's quoted as saying "my range of motion was pretty limited. It was causing some irritation in my shoulder. Last year, the arm just couldn't take it."