LAFAYETTE — The last piece of Jonathan Lucroy’s full-body armor was built, like the others before it, before dawn.
It’s 6 a.m. Thursday, just days before Lucroy, the former Louisiana-Lafayette backstop, reports to Arizona for spring training with the Milwaukee Brewers. It’s the final day of a rigorous offseason training program fueled by a chip on Lucroy’s shoulder.
“I’m not saying I didn’t train hard last season, but I think there was an extra little push I had in there (this year),” Lucroy said. “You know what? I had a bad year last year. It’s almost like ‘I need to prove a point’ type of training.