SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — By the time manager Dave Roberts dropped by the Dodgers’ spring training facility on Thursday, Shohei Ohtani had been in camp for well over a week.
“Shohei,” Roberts said, “looks fantastic.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto received a similar evaluation from Roberts, as did some of the other players who were at Camelback Ranch before the reporting date for pitchers and catchers.
But as the team gathers over the following handful of days, Roberts doesn’t expect everyone to be as built up as Ohtani or Yamamoto, who are preparing for the World Baseball Classic in March.
If anything, Roberts anticipates more players to be behind where they would usually be.
The days of players using spring training to work their way into shape are something of the distant past. Most of them show up to camp already in shape, as they are paid enough to be able to train year-round and not have to find odd jobs in the winter.
But many veteran Dodgers didn’t have that luxury this winter, as their team played through October in each of the last two years, requiring many of them to prioritize recovery in the offseason.
“Most of the guys I’ve talked to have been on the same program I’ve been on,” Max Muncy told Foul Territory recently. “We haven’t started any baseball activity until the middle of January.
“Just trying to give your body as much rest as possible.”
This is what a World Series hangover really is: the physical and mental aftereffects of a seven-month season. The manager nicknamed “Doc” will be tasked this spring with treating the symptoms, which could be especially pronounced on a team in which many key players are in their mid-30s.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
