The Yankees had their first official workout of spring coaching 2.0, enjoying and figuring out in an empty Yankee Stadium.
“It was undoubtedly totally different,’’ Jordan Montgomery mentioned. “But it’s similar to working in Tampa in an empty stadium. You attempt to get your work in, keep targeted and keep protected as I can.”
Unlike the quite a few again fields the Yankees are accustomed to at their advanced in Tampa, they’d to make use of simply the one area at Yankee Stadium as they modify to their new scenario.
After the first day, supervisor Aaron Boone mentioned he was happy with how environment friendly they have been.
“I believed it went fairly nicely,’’ mentioned Boone, who acknowledged Masahiro Tanaka getting hit by a Giancarlo Stanton liner early within the workout modified the tenor of the day. “Masahiro getting hit took the air out of it and put slightly worry in everybody.”
But he appreciated what he noticed from the work the crew put in.
“From an operational standpoint, I believed we have been in fine condition,’’ Boone mentioned. “We used 4 mounds for bullpens and that labored nicely. It was slightly bit of an extended day for our teaching workers, however we have been in a great place facility-wise with the reps we wanted to get.”
He mentioned the crew must get “inventive” with how they labored and with numerous team-building workout routines, calling the scenario “an entire totally different animal.”
Montgomery mentioned the hardest adjustment up to now has been the ban on spitting and licking fingers on the mound.
“I’ve been doing higher,’’ Montgomery mentioned.
Aaron Hicks added it took some time to get used to sporting masks whereas figuring out indoors.
“It’s the brand new regular,’’ Hicks mentioned. “It takes some time to get adjusted on the baseball area. You need to have interaction in dialog and also you’re instructed to remain at a distance.”
He was cautious whereas figuring out indoors in Arizona and believes the crew will do the identical this season.
“It’s undoubtedly been a dialog, to honor one another,’’ Hicks mentioned. “We all should be accountable on and off the sphere. We all need to win and need to be right here. The goal right here is to win a championship. We want everyone to be wholesome.”
Aaron Hicks, getting back from Tommy John surgical procedure, mentioned he felt “game-ready” however admitted he nonetheless hasn’t discovered complete consistency with his throwing following the October process.
Asked if he was throwing “100 %,” Hicks responded: “One hundred %? It takes some time. I really feel game-ready proper now to compete and be constant within the outfield.”
The situation proper now, Hicks mentioned, is velocity.
“Some come out, some don’t,’’ Hicks mentioned. “There’s some inconsistency. That’s fairly regular by way of the method.”
Hicks added he’s been following the nationwide protests intently after the dying of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which led to extra give attention to the Black Lives Matter motion.
“I really feel it’s a fairly robust motion proper now,’’ Hicks mentioned. “It’s one thing I undoubtedly need to be a component of. It’s one thing that’s been occurring all through my life: black lives going unnoticed.”
