FORT MYERS, Fla. — Take a spin around the Grapefruit League with “Three Up, Three Down,” an inside look at what is coming up and what went down on Tuesday.
THREE UP
1. The Orioles signed free-agent Pedro Alvarez to a one-year, $5.75 million contract with potential bonuses up to $1.5 million. With Alvarez joining a lineup that includes Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo, Manny Machado, Adam Jones and Jonathan Schoop, the Orioles have the potential for a lot of power. Also a lot of strikeouts.
Alvarez, 29, was a first-round (second overall) pick by Pittsburgh out of Vanderbilt in 2008. In six big league seasons with the Pirates, he hit .236 with a .309 on-base percentage and .441 slugging percentage. His best season came in 2013 when he was an All-Star, winning a Silver Slugger. He hit .233/.296/.473 and led the National League that season with 36 home runs and 186 strikeouts, both career highs.
A left-handed hitter, Alvarez has batted .203/.270/.332 against lefties, .246/.320/.473 against righties in his career. He likely will be the Orioles’ primary designated hitter with Trumbo moving to right field.
2. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina could get into a game on Wednesday, manager Mike Matheny said. Molina is recovering from two surgeries to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb and has begun hitting off a tee. Molina could possibly get an inning or two behind the plate without batting when the Cardinals play the Miami Marlins.
Matheny said he would have to get creative with Molina and the designated hitter in the lineup. Such things are not completely uncommon in spring training.
The next steps for Molina would be to hit in the cage and then take batting practice off Cardinals pitchers before hitting in a game.
Molina caught 136 regular-season games for the Cardinals last season, hitting .270 with a .310 on-base percentage and .350 slugging percentage. He also caught three postseason games before the Cards were knocked out by the Cubs in the NLDS.
3. The Braves and Marlins will play a first-of-its-kind regular-season game at Fort Bragg, N.C., on July 3, Major League Baseball and the players union announced Tuesday, to celebrate the country’s servicemen and servicewomen.
MLB and the players’ union will build a 12,500-capacity ballpark to hose the “Fort Bragg Game,” which will be part of the military post’s Fourth of July festivities. After the game, the park will be converted to a permanent softball field and multipurpose facility for those who serve at Fort Bragg.
The game will be the first regular-season game of a professional sport ever played on an active military base.
“Major League Baseball’s boundless gratitude to our military has led us to a unique event that will benefit the men and women of Fort Bragg and their families for many years,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
“I thank the Braves and the Marlins for their participation and all of our clubs and players for contributing to this gesture, which will stand as a fitting new chapter in the national pastime’s proud and distinguished military history.”
MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said, “As the son of a Navy officer, I am extremely proud to stand with all players and Major League Baseball as we honor our nation’s military and our country, through the playing of a regular season game in historic Fort Bragg on Fourth of July weekend. Many players are the grandsons, sons and brothers of men and women who have served or continue to serve our country. This one-of-a-kind ballpark construction project provides us with an opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to all who serve to protect our great nation.”
Col. Brett Funck, Fort Bragg Garrison Commander, said, “We’re extremely grateful to Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association for their support to our service members and families. This historic event and the converted multipurpose facility will have enduring benefits for our entire Fort Bragg community for years to come.”
Fort Bragg, the most populated military installation in the country, is home to the Army’s Global Response Force and more than 250,000 people encompassing more than 500 square miles.
THREE DOWN
1. Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta was scheduled to travel to St. Louis on Tuesday to have the torn ligament in his left thumb looked at by a hand specialist. It is possible that Peralta will have surgery on this visit, which would keep him out for about 10 to 12 weeks. Peralta was injured Saturday when fielding a ground ball in the dirt.
Aledmys Diaz, a potential replacement for Peralta, went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and two RBIs in Tuesday’s 5-3 win over a Minnesota Twins split squad. It was Diaz”s first start of the spring.
“Took some good at-bats,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “Came out swinging right from his first at-bat. Made some good adjustments. They tried to go soft on him and he still put together good at-bats. Overall, just a good day. I like what he’s doing.”
Diaz, 25, hit .278 with a .339 on-base percentage and .445 slugging percentage in 116 games between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis last season.
2. Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia made his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday. He went two scoreless and hitless innings, allowing one walk with two strikeouts against the Marlins.
It was a tumultuous 2015 for Sabathia. He dealt with right knee issues as he went 6-10 with a 4.73 ERA in 29 starts after surgery in 2014. Then just before the American League wild-card game, he admitted to an alcohol problem, leaving the team to spend 29 days in a rehab center.
“Just to be back out there, it’s fun to be competing again, and it went well,” he said.
Sabathia, who needed just six pitches to get through his first inning, wore a brace on his right knee and said he had no problems.
“That’s most important,” Sabathia said. “No problems landing, and I think that’s why I’m a little ahead of where I was last year in spring training — just because I feel a lot better. My mechanics are what they should be right now, so it’s just about building on that.”
3. Right-hander Michael Kopech, one of the Red Sox’s top pitching prospects, broke his pitching hand in an altercation a few days ago with roommate. It’s the second straight season Kopech has been involved in a problematic situation. He served a 50-game suspension last year for violating the minor league drug policy.
“It’s disappointing. It’s very disappointing. It was stupid,” general manager Mike Hazen told the Boston Globe.
“He knows he’s going to have to grow up with the things that have happened so far. He’s got a long road to go to get to the big leagues. He obviously has a ton of talent and potential. You don’t want to put more barriers in front of you that professional baseball already presents to you.”
Kopech, a supplemental first-round (33rd overall) pick by the Red Sox in 2014 out of Mount Pleasant High in Texas, has appeared in just 24 games, 23 starts, since being drafted. Last season, he appeared in 16 games, 15 starts, for Class A Greenville, going 4-5 with 2.63 ERA before the suspension.