Spring Training is just a few days away, which means the first numbers of 2012 will soon start to roll in. But what to do with these numbers? Are spring stats worth reading into? Yes. If a player is performing well in the early going it means he’s healthy, which is huge. Also, spring baseball is still baseball, meaning hitters want to hit. Hitters always want to hit, so if a pitcher is getting outs he’s doing something right. Sure, some of the players are minor leaguers, but there are competitions going on across all levels of each organization for starting jobs, rotation slots and roster spots; these are players pitching and hitting for their very livelihoods, so even if their talent may not be top notch, youngsters’ efforts during camp can’t be questioned. The spring stat to not read into is if a proven pitcher is getting knocked around. It’s a rare opportunity for these guys to work on things against live hitters, (who want to hit, mind you) knowing that they are assured a rotation or bullpen spot. In the most general terms, read in to all success and ignore proven players’ slowish starts. If an unproven is having a bad spring, he’s not making the big club and he’s not worth drafting.
Ramblings of Baseball 