Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, who had his 2014 season ended by a Sept. 11 hit-by-pitch that resulted in facial fractures and dental damage, is wearing a custom-made face guard for protection but when he becomes fully comfortable at the plate again is to be determined.
In a simulated game last weekendd, Stanton was hit in the hip by a pitch from Marlins right-hander Henderson Alvarez. Fortunately for the Marlins, the pitch did no damage.
“I’m going to have to wear a hip guard now,” Stanton said. “I’ll hang it off my belt.”
In all seriousness, how Stanton reacts to pitches — especially inside fastballs and sharp-breaking curves — is a concern to the Marlins or at least should be. Historically, there have been hitters who were never the same after being hit in the head or face.
That’s why Stanton flew to Illinois recently — he used Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria’s private jet — to test his new headgear. Manufactured by Schutt Sports, with headquarters in Illinois, the helmet features a carbon steel frame that covers the left side of Stanton’s face that is exposed when he is at-bat.
Stanton said the helmet’s metal frame will survive a 100 mph fastball, bending slightly but not breaking.
The Marlins are still trying to gauge Stanton’s comfort level and his sight lines looking out from the helmet.
Stanton said his vision while wearing the gear is “better than I thought.”
“You can’t get (the helmet) fully out of your vision, out of your peripheral,” he said. “But in terms of focusing on the pitcher, I had no trouble with that.”
NOTES
–RHP Jose Fernandez, who hasn’t pitched since he hurt his right arm on May 9, took the mound on Sunday for the first time in 291 days. It wasn’t even an exhibition game, but it was progress for Fernandez, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery last May. Fernandez, still only 22, was the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year and figures to go right back to the top of the Marlins’ rotation when he is ready to pitch again this summer. Fernandez, who threw 15 fastballs at half-speed on Sunday, has been throwing off flat ground for the past five months. He expects to be big-league ready by June or July.
–INF Derek Dietrich, who is mainly a second baseman, has learned to play left field and first base, enhancing his ability to try to win a job as a utility player. He can now play every infield position plus left field. Dietrich has good pop for a middle infielder – 14 homers, 16 doubles and four triples in 373 big-league at-bats over the past two seasons. But his career on-base percentage is just .297, and he made 10 errors in 44 games last season. His .950 fielding percentage was 32 points below the league average, and that is what ultimately cost him his shot at a starting job — the Marlins acquired Dee Gordon in the offseason to be their second baseman. Now Dietrich, a former second-round pick out of Georgia Tech, must go the utility route.