Snake Bytes 3/21: Tie Your Shoes Not Your Games

Arizona Diamondbacks News

[D’backs.com] Locastro pressing for playing time in RF - D-backs manager Torey Lovullo has said that the decision as to who gets the bulk of the playing time in right field while Kole Calhoun recovers from knee surgery could come down to the final days of Spring Training. That may be true, but if Tim Locastro continues to play as he has so far this spring, it’s going to be hard to imagine him not getting significant playing time there. Despite missing 10 days due to a positive COVID-19 test, Locastro has swung the bat extremely well and has played good defense at all three outfield positions. “He hasn’t lost a beat,” Lovullo said. “Credit to him, 10 days down and I would never notice it. First game back, slashes a couple balls and is right into the rhythm of his swing. There is an instant energy and a quality [of] at-bats that we’ve seen throughout the course of Spring Training.”

[Arizona Sports] Christian Walker stays hot in D-backs’ 3rd tie of spring training - For the second time in three days, the Arizona Diamondbacks tied a spring training game. Saturday’s 6-6 draw with the Kansas City Royals at Salt River Fields marks the third tie of the spring for the D-backs. Luke Weaver got the start for the Diamondbacks, throwing for 4.1 innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits (two home runs) while striking out five. He threw 74 pitches to 20 batters on the day, 49 of which were strikes. “I thought it went really well honestly. … It was definitely the first outing this year that everything came together — fastball and changeup,” Weaver said via Zoom. “That was the best I’ve thrown my changeup in a while. Minimum slider, curveballs — I couldn’t land the curveball today but it had good action and some sliders I had some good action as well. Just feeling it up, no walks, just controlling what I can control.”

Around the League

[NBC Sports] Minor league Cubs player arrested over drugs in Colorado - A minor league baseball player is facing drug charges after police in Colorado found 21 pounds of methamphetamine and 1.2 pounds of oxycodone pills in his Chicago Cubs duffel bag. The Vail Daily reports Jesus Camargo-Corrales, 25, of Tempe, Arizona, appeared in Eagle County Court on Thursday on charges including unlawful distribution of methamphetamine and oxycodone, both class 1 drug felonies, as well as charges of unlawful possession of each drug, both class 4 drug felonies. The Major League Baseball website says he was first signed to a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs in 2014. “We are aware of the arrest of one our Minor League players,” said Julian Green, senior vice president of communications at Chicago Cubs. “We are investigating this matter and cannot provide additional comment until we have further details.” He was ordered held on $75,000 bond by Judge Rachel Olguin-Fresquez.

[ESPN] MLB prospect Jack Leiter tosses no-hitter and strikes out 16 in dominant 5-0 victory for Vanderbilt baseball - Vanderbilt right-hander Jack Leiter, ESPN’s No. 2 MLB draft prospect, tossed a no-hitter on Saturday in the Commodores’ 5-0 win over South Carolina. Leiter walked a batter in the first inning before recording 27 consecutive outs. He finished with a career-high 16 strikeouts as the No. 2 Commodores improved to 15-2, 2-0 in the SEC. Leiter was efficient, posting 81 strikes in 124 pitches, inducing eight fly outs and three groundouts, improving to 5-0. “Walking the first guy, obviously, is not something you want to do,” Leiter said in his postgame interview on SEC Network. “But I would say, not until the fifth, sixth, seventh inning, is when it started to feel different from other games.”

[MLB Trade Rumors] Rockies Select Contracts Of C.J. Cron, Chris Owings - The Rockies officially selected the contracts of first baseman C.J. Cron and utilityman Chris Owings, the team announced. Colorado already had one open spot on the 40-man roster, and another was created when righty Peter Lambert was placed on the 60-day injured list. Lambert underwent Tommy John surgery last July and is likely to miss the entire 2021 season. Both Cron and Owings signed minor league deals with the team within the last two months. For Owings, he is returning for his second season with the Rox, after inking another minors contract last winter and then hitting .268/.318/.439 over 44 plate appearances in 2020. Owings’ versatility already made him a pretty decent bet to break camp with the Rockies, but the decision was probably clinched after yesterday’s news that Brendan Rodgers will miss at least a month recovering from a strained hamstring. Rodgers’ injury shuffled the team’s infield plans and made Owings’ ability to play second, third, and shortstop (not to mention the outfield) all the more valuable.