Experienced baseball fans understand that March is both the most desperately anticipated and truly underwhelming month on the calendar. After a long winter without Major League Baseball, the best thing about spring training is the knowledge that real action is near. The actual gameplay, once we’re finally permitted to actually watch said games, isn’t usually predictive of anything to come during the season. Well, other than pitcher injuries, and who doesn’t love a spring preview of those?
The problem is the variety of stages of preparation and intensity from player to player. A veteran starter looking to throw as many innings as possible in season may come to camp in shape, but having waited to ramp up the intensity of their work.