Snake Bytes, 3/9: Onwards and upwards!

Team news

[AZ Central] D-Backs will be ‘mindful’ of Luke Weaver’s workload - “We know he had a great offseason and put himself in a good position physically,” Hazen said. “But we’ll be mindful of it.” For Weaver’s end-of-year innings total to become a hot topic, he will have to stay healthy, something he had trouble doing in the past. He made 11 starts last year before going down with elbow problems in May; he didn’t return until late in the year, when he made a two-inning start in San Diego. He also missed time earlier in his career with wrist and back issues. Weaver managed to survive a scare in a ‘B’ game on Sunday morning. He was struck on the left hand by a comebacker off the bat of 2019 first-round pick Corbin Carroll but said it was nothing but a “stinger.”

[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks make 7 moves, trimming Cactus League roster to 48 - The Arizona Diamondbacks continue to trim the spring training roster and are down to 48 players after making seven roster moves on Sunday. Pitchers Taylor Widener and Riley Smith were optioned to Triple-A Reno, while five more players were reassigned to Minor League camp. Infielders Seth Beer and Pavin Smith, outfielder Ben DeLuzio and pitchers Eduardo Jimenez and Miguel Aguilar were all reassigned.

[dbacks.com] Notes: Weaver finding groove; roster moves - Weaver had not been sharp in two Cactus League starts this year, allowing six runs on four hits in lasting a total of two innings. Sunday, he gave up one run on three hits while striking out five. “I felt way better, like tremendously better,” Weaver said. “The other games, I felt like my stuff was there, I was still getting some strikeouts, but I was in losing counts. Today I got into some 2-1s but had good fight coming back.” Weaver threw a lot of curveballs, which he said felt good. Facing a group of Minor Leaguers that included some of the organization’s top prospects, Weaver’s cut fastball didn’t fare as well with one getting hit for a home run.

And for amusement, a faux radio broadcast of an imaginary game between the 1975 Red Sox and the 2001 Diamondbacks, part of a fantasy tournament being run by The Throwback League.

And, elsewhere...

[AP] Signed off: MLB limits spring autographs amid virus outbreak - Fans are still filling spring training parks, but they aren't getting quite the same access. Any other year, these spring games are an ideal chance for young fans to meet their favorite stars during batting practice. On Saturday, the Giants adhered to club and league wishes and mostly stayed clear, save for a couple players and coaches who used their gloves to bump fists. The Nationals tweeted their temporary autograph policy Saturday, informing fans they won't be able to bring their own memorabilia to its weekly autograph meet-and-greet with players. Instead, the team is having players sign cards, programs and other items to be distributed at the event, and also periodically during games.

[Yahoo] Wide-ranging MLB rules crackdown sows uncertainty in clubhouses - At a time when it seems almost everything within the game has a fresh wobble, Major League Baseball seeks a reset on the rules as they are written. Therefore, in its communications with team officials and players, it has stressed that, for example, any substance on a baseball that is not human skin or human sweat or Delaware River mud or dirt or rosin from the bag behind the mound is illegal. In the course of that very broad pursuit of a more honest game, baseball officials heard more than once about the stuff being produced — and sold — out of the visitors’ clubhouse in Anaheim, among two or three other places. They called Angels management.

[The Athletic] ‘Like a ghost’: Barry Bonds comes to terms with his legacy in a changing sport - Bonds was close enough to hear the sun-soaked masses, yet he sat shrouded in solitude. It was just him, and me, and those foul lines. “I feel like a ghost,” he said, his eyes locked on some distant point. “A ghost in a big empty house, just rattling around.” And then: “A death sentence. That’s what they’ve given me.” A bit later: “My heart, it’s broken. Really broken.” [No, Barry: a death sentence is what YOU gave you. Actions have consequences]

[ESPN Insider] MLB, players should go all-in on all-access - What happened in the exhibition game broadcasts last week on ESPN was the equivalent of dropping a shovel into the ground and touching off a fountain of oil. About a dozen players wore microphones for three dozen innings and generated viral moments that will last -- and shape the game's future... The old refrain is that spring training results don't matter, exhibition games don't matter. But in this small handful of games in which players wore microphones, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association got to see the full potential in tearing down the walls of access and letting fans see and hear for themselves just how entertaining the players can be while being the best in the world at the game they play.