An update on position players who reported early, injuries and more.
Padres pitchers and catchers reported today. For pictures of those players arriving at camp you can head over to this article: Spring Training Is Finally Here! With the players now in camp we also get a few updates on them. Padres.com writer Corey Brock and the San Diego Union Tribune's Dennis Lin provided a few via twitter:
Kemp is in #Padres camp ahead of position players: "Ready to get on the field with my new teammates, get ready for these 162 games + more."
— Corey Brock (@FollowThePadres) February 19, 2015Padres position players reporting early: Matt Kemp, Clint Barmes, Cory Spangenberg, Alexi Amarista, Abraham Almonte.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) February 19, 2015Good to see Kemp getting a jump on Spring Training. Hopefully he's working with the trainers to prevent any injuries, which is one of the biggest concerns with him. Maybe he is getting a jump on getting some reps in the outfield to improve his defense (another concern). Maybe someone even introduced him to a first baseman's glove (something he could use down the road.
Talked to #Padres 2x TJ guys Johnson + Luebke. Each progressing well. JJ long toss from 180 feet, Luebke playing catch from 60. No timeline.
— Corey Brock (@FollowThePadres) February 19, 2015Bud Black confirms that Josh Johnson is ahead of Cory Luebke in terms of where he's at in throwing program. #Padres
— Corey Brock (@FollowThePadres) February 19, 2015It is good that both Corey Luebke and Josh Johnson are out throwing instead of resting. It is however disappointing that Luebke has apparently had a setback. His surgery came before Johnson's so to be behind him implies such a setback as well as a report from about a month ago that said he should "be ready to go at start of ST or if he's behind it won't be by much". Corey Brock followed up the tweets with an article on Padres.com. Regarding Luebke's setback:
Luebke, who had his surgery last February, had a minor scare last month when he felt some soreness in the elbow. He shut down his throwing program for close to three weeks before resuming it on Tuesday, playing catch from 60 feet. He did so again on Thursday.
Considering how many setbacks Luebke has had over the past couple years, this is not good to hear. However, it seems like he is back on track.
Casey Kelly said he strained his forearm in the final inning of his last start for San Antonio (5/19). Started throwing again in January.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) February 19, 2015Casey Kelly is another pitcher that has battled injury woes. Good to know that he's throwing. Will be interesting to see how his spring goes.
Sounds like NRI Marcos Mateo will be delayed a bit. He's the only pitcher who hasn't reported to Peoria.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) February 19, 2015Marcos Mateo is a former Chicago Cub who signed as a minor league free agent and got an non-roster invite (NRI) to the Padres camp. I don't know if this is a visa issue for the Dominican Republic native, but it seems like there is one of those every year or every other year for the Padres. When he arrives he will be competing for a bullpen job with the most likely avenue being some time spent in El Paso and perhaps a midseason call up if a need arises.
One last thing to add comes from the Padres' Jesse Agler who gives us a list of all the guys in Padres camp. For those who like to play the trivia game that Gaslamp Ball annually releases on Sporcle that uses this list you can either ignore it or use it to study:
Might be tough to see, but full #PadresST roster here on day one of pitchers and catchers. pic.twitter.com/ZAbmJ6rm3H
— jesse agler (@jesseagler) February 19, 2015