In any given morning on the backfields of Roger Dean Stadium, a St . Louis Cardinals pitcher may be putting "his life at risk," as reliever Ryan Franklin described it.
A coach with a bat will line up about 15 feet from the pitcher and slash a Baseball at him. The object of the drill is for the pitcher to field or deflect the ball. "If you don't have a cup on," Franklin said, "it can be a little, let's say, life-threatening."
And fans can watch. For free. Only at spring training.
The annual migration of the Cardinals to their spring home of Jupiter, Fla., is a couple of months away. Pitchers and catchers will report on Feb. 14; position players will report on Feb. 17.
Spring training is the place to get the closest, unvarnished view of a team being built, from the pitcher vying for a starting job to the outfield prospect looking to impress.
"What I enjoy most is the excitement of something fresh, the start of a new season and the look of another year," Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright said. "There are new players and young players that you watch and say, 'I really can't wait to see what this guy can do when he plays.' This is when you see a team come together."
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online STLtoday.com/travel See videos from last year's spring training.
