Yankees find balance between team bonding and heavy workload as spring training begins
TAMPA, Fla. -- The New York Yankees are hard at work to prepare themselves for the upcoming season and erase the foul feelings of falling short of the World Series last season, but part of the work is team bonding.
At Yankees camp Saturday in Tampa, CBS2's Steve Overmyer saw the comradery enjoyed by the players spending day in and day out together.
Skipper Aaron Boone is no stranger to spring training. As a son of a Major Leaguer, he's been coming to spring training since he was a boy; it's in his blood.
This time of the year is when he gets his engine going, and part of that is finding a balance between the heavy workload of training and lighter moments that build chemistry.
"It's a little kid's game, you know. This game was invented a long, long time ago to have fun. There's gonna be a lot of pressure-filled moments. There's gonna be a lot of hard moments. There's gonna be adversity along the way. One of the things we always try to impart as much as we can is to remember that you need to have fun doing this because usually you're at your best when you're striking that balance between making sure you're working really hard on your craft and everything, but also having fun playing the game," Boone said.
"What should Yankees fans expect from this roster this year? What should you expect from the team?" Overmyer asked.
"Hopefully one that's really competitive, really determined, certainly understanding that we have championship expectations. That's what we're working towards and hopefully the product will reflect that," Boone said.
Pitchers and catchers have just one more day to have the complex to themselves. The position players are due Sunday morning to get their physicals.
This spring training isn't just about shaking off the rust; it's learning baseball's new rules.
One that may be most impactful is the pitching clock. Pitchers will now have just 15 seconds to throw a pitch if bases are empty and just 20 seconds if there's a man on base. If not, a ball is called.
It's something Yankees pitchers were practicing against live hitters Saturday.
It's baseball's effort to speed up games.
Overmyer asked Boone who he thinks it will affect more -- pitchers or hitters?
"I think the initial thought is pitchers, but I actually think it's going to be just as big an adjustment for hitters. Especially established veteran hitters that maybe do take their time. Getting use to that rhythm and timing of the game now is definitely going to be an adjustment," Boone said.
"Is there a concern, though, in high leverage situations that a player might feel rushed through the moment?" Overmyer asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Especially early on, you know. As we try and kind of practice for that already now, a couple pitches here and there where a guy's is little bit rushed up against the clock. Learning how to survive and thrive in that new kind of world that they're in is going to be critical," Boone said.
The Yankees' first full squad workouts are Monday, and their spring training games begin Feb. 25.