Open Extended Reactions
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Inside Driveline's 15,000-square-foot facility, two racks holding 16 broken baseball bats hang on a wall, displayed like a valuable piece of modern art. Driveline, the cutting-edge player-development lab that has helped to revolutionize the sport at its highest levels, believes that offensive success in this era of pitcher dominance requires training in extreme conditions. The broken bats, then, are a badge of honor -- a symbol of work done with requisite intensity.
Early last week, Edgar Quero, a 22-year-old entering his second season with the Chicago White Sox, stepped into a batting cage only a few feet away.