Diamondbacks Spring Training Round-Up: Eaton Disorder

Quotes of the day

• "It's the worst timing ever. I didn't sleep a wink last night and I probably won't for the whole month I'm out. It's going to be tough to see the guys have fun every day, but I guess it's all part of the game. It's going to kill me for sure... I put all my faith in the doctors, but at the same time I'm going to try to push things. We'll be smart, we won't do anything stupid, but I'm definitely going to try a speedy recovery."
  -- Adam Eaton
• "In the left elbow, there is a very, very small tear of one of the fibers around the UCL -- probably very similar to what Didi Gregorius had. It's a grade one strain, probably not as bad what Gregorius had. No surgical procedure, our thought process is to shut him down for four weeks of no throwing and then hopefully we get him back best-case scenario probably in about six weeks to two months. We're hoping for the mid-part of April, but it could be the first of June."
  -- Kevin Towers
• "He'll be able to hit after a week or two, because nothing really bothers him except when he really lets it go. We'll err on the side of caution, but he'll get a lot of at-bats. Then when he gets within that window when he starts throwing, we'll send him out to do his rehab wherever... We have a lot of options. We'll wait and see, because so much could happen still."
  -- Kirk Gibson
• ""In the third inning I was rushing a little bit. I probably got a little tired. I can usually correct that. I didn't correct it as quick as I normally do. After that I had two good innings. My goal now is to get ready for the season. I feel I've done everything they've asked. I feel that if they pick me for that spot I can go out there and compete."
  -- Patrick Corbin

The sound of one team trading

Even though the player concerned is very likely no-one you've ever heard of, one transaction yesterday caught my eye: "Justin Greene was traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday with Arizona sending nothing back in return. " Finally, we have a trade there is no conceivable way we can lose! Hah! Such on that, White Sox! Not that Greene is likely to amount to much, being a 20th-round pick who posted a line of .256/.337/.406 between AA and AAA for the White Sox last season. The outfielder will be reporting to Double-A Mobile on this side.

Pennington flicks the switch

Hitting coach Don Baylor and Cliff Pennington discuss the fine art of switch-hitting. It seems to be something which is as much a mental skill as a physical one. Says Baylor: "The special part of it is just the confidence you have to have in it. Sometimes, especially at the Major League level, if you don't do well, then all of the sudden you say, 'I want to get back to my natural side.' A lot of times you can't." Penningtom seems to be angling for his salary to be doubled: "It's twice as much work to keep the swing feeling right. You can be where one side feels good and one side doesn't, and it always seems to work out where the pitcher is [throwing from] the wrong side that day."

Around baseball

• In the Cactus League, unfortunate box-score line of the day, goes to a Texas pitcher in their 14-9 loss to Colorado:
  B Rowen (L,0-1): 0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR
  Best pitching of the day was by the Mariners, who held the Padres to four hits and one run, with Felix Hernandez fanning nine in six shutout innings of two-hit ball.

• The New York Daily News reports, "On Opening Day 2013, baseball will pay tribute to the Sandy Hook Elementary School victims... According to a release Friday, all players, coaches, managers and on-field personnel will wear symbolic patches on their uniforms and clothing. There will also be a moment of silence observed before the start of each game, from March 31 to April 2."

• Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta offers a baseball-themed tour, as in its grounds are buried seven of the players in the first baseball game ever to take place in the city.