Tigers Minor League Baseball Blog

If I remember correctly, I wrote last year about what the everyday routine of a (mainly myself) minor league player contains. Well this is a new year and a new team so things have changed a little bit. Also now that I am a starting pitcher, there are some variables thrown in that I am adjusting to as well (these mostly consist of different ways of learning to relax more often). The standard eleven a.m. wake up call really hasn’t changed much, I think that one stays pretty universal throughout the minor leagues (I owe waking up everyday to Amanda, she makes sure I get going via the phone). I will explain why this is here in a bit. Once I roll out of bed and head downstairs to find which of the seven kinds of milk in the fridge are mine, I eat and watch TV. The next part can get a little complicated so pay attention. We have quite a few guys living under the same roof, however not all of them have cars to get to where they need to go. Four to be exact. Since Casper Wells is on rehab from AA Erie, he has moved in and has to be in at seven a.m. One car gone. Then there usually is a group that needs to go in and workout around one before team stretch. Two cars down. Then there is everyone else who has to go together at around three, or what we call normal time. Three cars gone. Here’s where the fun starts; we have three starting pitchers in the house and none of us have to be at the field until five thirty, for a seven o’clock game. Four cars gone. If for any reason someone has to run errands in the morning they need to bring the car back or someone will be stranded. So now that I have explained carpooling I can tell you what it is I do once I am at the field. The usual pre game stuff never really changes; you go in, get dressed, stretch and take batting practice. This is the same all the way to the big leagues. Running everyday is different for everyone because starters and relievers are on different programs based around when you throw. As a starter, you take on more in game duties than normal. If you are ever at a game and see a guy sitting behind home plate with a radar gun looking completely lost- starting pitcher. If you ever see a guy walking all over the ballpark videotaping hitters and pitchers- starting pitcher. And if you look in the dugout and see a player sitting on the end of the bench, cracking jokes and throwing sunflower seeds at people- starting pitcher. We also have to do the game chart the day before we pitch so that counts for something I’d have to say. And now I will tell you why it is I sleep in. When I come home from the game which is between ten thirty and eleven, I get hungry and so I make a meal. Not just a night time snack, a full dinner. This probably goes against every bit of advice any nutritionist would give but hey, I have to eat sometime. This leads to staying up later than I want, which carries over into waking up to Amanda’s phone call and so on and so forth and we do it all again.