香港三级片

JUPITER, Fla. 鈥� From the vantage point of nothing about a spring workout schedule is just a coincidence, one glance at the hitters assigned Wednesday to Field No. 4, the one farthest from the clubhouse, said a lot about the importance of this spring for the pitcher they faced.

When lefty Zack Thompson arrived, the four hitters there waiting for him are likely the left-right combos in the middle of the Cardinals order: Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Lars Nootbaar and Willson Contreras.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 who you want to face,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淕et the adrenaline going for a little bit.鈥�

The Cardinals鈥� pitching plans continue to unfold during the workouts on the final days before Saturday鈥檚 Grapefruit League opener. Sonny Gray faced hitters for the first time Wednesday. On the same day Kyle Leahy, who is getting a look at starter or long reliever, pitched two innings, Gray threw 20 pitches precisely in one inning. His first exhibition start of spring is set to come at the end of the first round for the rotation, toward the end of next week.

Jordan Walker was in the group hitting against Gray.

Nothing is a coincidence. Some things are messages.

鈥淲hen you look at all of these, there鈥檚 a purpose behind a majority of these,鈥� manager Oliver Marmol said while holding up the schedule for the day. 鈥淵eah, it鈥檚 a good group for Thompson. He鈥檚 worked hard. It鈥檚 going to be an important spring for him to show well and have consistency.鈥�

The 19th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Thompson found an opening as a reliever through part of the 2023 season with 25 games (nine starts) and a 4.48 ERA to go with 72 strikeouts in 66鈪� innings for the Cardinals while oscillating between the majors at Class AAA.

This past season, he spent most of the year with Triple-A due to the oscillating velocity of his fastball. There were times the lefty was up to 99 mph with it, and there were other outings where it would sit between 90 mph and 91 mph. Thompson traced the fluctuations back to his delivery and movements 鈥� particularly with his legs 鈥� through the course of the season.

The inconsistency made it difficult for him to keep a role in the majors because the Cardinals were unsure of what the zip would be from day to day. The work to address that and show consistency makes this spring a defining one for Thompson with the Cardinals.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 been the topic of conversation,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淎nd that is why this spring is going to be very important for him.鈥�

But that is not the only reason why.

With four starters in their 30s ahead of him for the rotation and the Cardinals turning toward youthful starters in their early 20s, Thompson, now 27, can see the clock from his locker.

鈥淭here are a lot of young guys coming,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淚鈥檓 at a weird stage.鈥�

Thompson had two innings to simulate in live batting practice on Wednesday. He did not ask for or look for the velocity on his pitches, preferring instead to read the hitters and, between his 鈥渋nnings,鈥� ask them in person.

鈥淓very hitter asked how hard I was throwing, and I said, 鈥榊ou tell me,鈥欌�� Thompson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to see how they react to your stuff. It was helpful that they felt the ball was coming out good. The fastball-curveball combo kept them off balance early. Willson liked the change-up. I tried to throw that more the second time through. I tried to get a read from Donny on the sinker there at the end.鈥�

He got a ground ball on the change.

His final pitch of the first 鈥渋nning鈥� was a curveball that Nootbaar said 鈥渃ame out of the sky鈥� because of Thompson鈥檚 arm path. Nootbaar clipped the curve for a grounder back to the mound.

鈥淭he hitters will tell you not only with the results of their at-bats but their feedback of how they鈥檙e seeing it out of the hand,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淭he underlying metrics of what their pitches are doing, the shape of it, and is it in line with where we need to be this early in camp, and then the progression to it. Yes, it鈥檚 exciting to see that first one, but you鈥檝e got to also see it over the course of the spring.鈥�

Which brings the evaluation back to the consistency. Not just the consistency in velocity but the consistency in execution, pitch to pitch, and then the consistency of performance, game to game. And just like there is no coincidence in the workout schedule, there is a consistency about that, too.

There鈥檚 no way to make the team in live BP

鈥淜nowing at the end of the day it鈥檚 a live BP and it鈥檚 about getting ready for games this next week,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淭hen go attack guys and see what happens.鈥�

Mo鈥檚 message

For the 18th time this past week, John Mozeliak spoke to the entire major league spring training group 鈥� from players to coaches, support staff to athletic trainers 鈥� and sought to balance it being an ending for him and the start something for the team.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want this to be about me or my final anything; that felt weird,鈥� said Mozeliak, the president of baseball operations who is stepping out of the role when his contract expires at season鈥檚 end. 鈥淪pring training is about hope. Spring is about new beginnings. So I didn鈥檛 want to be like that.鈥�

What he said he focused his opening address on was being thankful.

Marmol and Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. were also in the group that spoke to the clubhouse Monday ahead of the first official full-squad workout. Some of the topics touched on the team鈥檚 plan to rely on youth and how an expanded staff was there to help, augmented and eager for the players to utilize.

鈥淚 wanted the players to think about being thankful to be able to be a part of something like this, to be able to play baseball,鈥� Mozeliak said. 鈥淪o that was really the theme of what I was trying to say. On a personal level, I鈥檓 grateful to have been a part of this organization for so long. I鈥檓 grateful to be able to work in Major League Baseball. And then when I think about all of the relationships and all of the people I鈥檝e gotten to know during that time, I鈥檓 grateful how many of them are friends.鈥�

Freese in the forecast, etc.

The 2011 World Series MVP and hometown All-Star who lifted the Cardinals to their most recent championships, David Freese tugged on a coaches uniform Wednesday and made his first appearance as a guest of this spring training. Consider Wednesday an orientation before he plunges into a Thursday schedule.

Freese spent time talking with the manager, his former teammates Jon Jay and Daniel Descalso, and watching hitters. He鈥檚 set to spend a week in Jupiter with the club.

• Ryan Helsley (illness) had his live BP postponed a day to Thursday.
• Rapper Flo Rida is set to perform a postgame concert at Busch Stadium as the team explores additional ways to bring people the ballpark. The new venture 鈥� which occurs at other ballparks, from Cincinnati to Kansas City 鈥� has two 鈥淧ostgame Concert Series鈥� events scheduled with Cole Swindell (June 20) and Flo Rida (July 25) and others planned. Admission is free to the concert with a ticket from same day鈥檚 game.