PSL: BP and Drills Back at Camp
…i did not follow the team to Jupiter…instead, i remained at Tradition Field to watch how the team works out…
…it is amazingly quiet…very peaceful…i closed my eyes for a moment, to take in the sounds of cracked bats and the warm breeze…it is very, very relaxing…
…i watched Damion Easley, Brian Schneider, Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo, Endy Chavez and Jose Valentin take batting practice…after which they did sprinting drills around the bases…beltran still does not look totally comfortable…i saw him later in the locker room…i told him he looks tired, and he agreed…
Castillo told reporters this morning that if he is able to run the bases at full speed today, he will likely play this weekend.
…honestly, it’s so hard to tell…i mean, the guy looks like he is always in pain…even when he is healthy…he looked awkward running the bases today, but that may actually mean he feels good…who knows…
…as for schneider, i get the sense that he is more than able to play, but is staying back at camp to work with the pitching staff…instead of traveling to catch one pitcher, like John Maine, he can stay in camp and catch all of the rest…seriously, he looks strong in the batting cage and he’s getting up and down from the catcher’s squat with no issues at all…yes, he has a tight hamstring, as has been reported, but he is totally in shape…
…it was explained to me that they do not just go up there in batting practice and take cuts all willynilly…apparently, first they drop down a bunt, then pull a ball, hit one up the middle, hit 
one the opposite way, and then they just hack away…and they all do it…each one…every time…i didn’t realize that…
…i then strolled down to the minor-league complex, where lots and lots of youngsters were working with instructors on all sorts of drills…i was particularly interested in watching Kevin Morgan work with Hector Pellot and Mike Carp on fielding short hops…he had them roughly 15 feet away from him…they all bent down on their knees…morgan then batted balls at them, landing them only a few inches from their legs, forcing them to react only with 
their gloves…morgan explained to me that the idea is to isolate their hands, never giving them the opportunity to shift their body in place, since sometimes the real-life play moves too fast for that…
…before leaving, i stopped to watch Lucas Duda take a few swings…wow, that boy can hit…he’s a big dude, too, with an even bigger swing…the ball just flies from his bat…
