A tough day for Gray:
Josiah Gray made his second start of the spring against the Boston Red Sox last weekend, walking two, striking out five, allowing two hits and one run.
Gray, 26, has allowed four hits, one run, two walks, and 10 Ks in his first five innings from pitching this spring to last night’s outing.
After his second start, he spoke to reporters about the new shortened pitching method he adopted late last season and was key to his success early this year.
“I was doing a shortened stretch delivery, but by focusing on the start of the delivery, I was able to stay more stuck, stay more consistent throughout the delivery, and really give myself a chance to throw strikes. I think I was able to give to myself,” Gray said. Quoted by MLB.com writer CJ Haddad. “Last year, I think there were times when I was pitching well down the stretch, but then I went back to the windup and threw four pitches in a row.
“I think tackling that task with an abbreviated delivery has been successful so far.”
Gray, who has been working through the winter since late last year and early this spring to get used to his new delivery, said he is enjoying the fruits of his labor during early spring training outings.
“I felt good from the first pitch,” Gray said of his start against the Red Sox, where he threw 48 total pitches (27 of which were strikes).
“I maintained my fastball. I established my fastball. I killed off a lot of good batters with my fastball. It was another good start. I was definitely encouraged.”
The right-handed starting No. 3…wasn’t as good as the first two.
Josiah Gray walked Jordan Walker in the first inning and allowed a two-run homer to Nolan Gorman. The Cardinals lead 2-0.
— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) March 8, 2024
It was a tough battle for Josiah Gray tonight: five hits, three walks, and a hit batter tonight. He’s given up five runs and is being pulled away after 1/3 of an inning.
— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) March 8, 2024
It was a tough night for Josiah Gray, who was ejected with one out and the bases loaded in the second inning.
After starting with a strikeout, he allowed three runs on a single, a batter’s hit, a single, a walk, and a walk, giving the Cardinals a 5-4 lead.
— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) March 8, 2024
Josiah Gray is back on the mound because it’s spring training, but who cares about traditional baseball rules? https://t.co/x8rK0kt0hn
— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) March 8, 2024
More spring training action: Angel Hernandez ejects Lance Lynn from the game.
Lin, like Josiah Gray, was ejected in the middle of the second inning and returned for the third (spring training!) only to be thrown into the bottom of the third inning due to an altercation. A strange night at WPB.
— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) March 9, 2024
All excerpts from Twitter/X post above = #AngelHernandez
Young people:
Davey Martinez spoke earlier this spring about the value of having Nationals prospects in camp with their big league colleagues in the organization.
“We’ve already seen some of the players mix and interact with the veteran players, so it was interesting to see how they talked and the overall combination,” he said. said on the first day of spring training. “So I’m excited, I’m really excited about this year. I talk a lot about what our young players did last year. Another year. And I’m excited about what they did this year for us. I look forward to doing great things.”
What is your message to promising players at club camp this spring?
“I tell them a lot about just being in your step, being a sponge, listening, learning and enjoying the moment,” the former major leaguer said. It’s been a year since I participated in major league camp, and I’ve progressed really quickly to where I am now, so I want you to enjoy every second, but also learn. Learn as much as possible. We talk a lot about continuing to progress, enjoying the process, what it takes to be a major league player and what it takes to stay here and be consistent. ”
Photo by Rich Story/Getty Images
Nearly a month after the process began, he spoke to reporters last week about the progress the Nationals prospect has made early this spring.
“It’s about teaching and having these moments where you can grab them and talk a little bit more, maybe one-on-one, maybe in a group,” Martinez said. Quoted by Paige Leckie of MLB.com:
“Some of the players that I have, they’re learning the game, they’re really learning. So now they’re just getting ready for the next jump, like playing in the major leagues, To play consistently, to play in front of 35,000, 40,000 people every day.
“We talked a lot about process and preparation and communication. I tell them, ‘Hey, we’re here to help you become twice the best version of yourself.’ that is our job. And we can help you with that. But you have to agree. ”
“They’re hungry and passionate,” Martinez added. “This camp is going very well.”
