Joe Girardi has had the boys running a little more this spring training than years past. He wants to make sure that being in shape for the season is maintained in spring training. Maintained because over the summer Brian Cashman made some phone calls to the players and reminded them to enter spring training in shape, to avoid what happened to them last year with all the injuries early in spring training and the first part of the regular season. This resulted in the firing of their conditioning coach, Marty Miller, real early in the season last year.
As all first class organizations do, they start every new year concentrating on improving their known weaknesses. Conditioning was definitely one of them. As Brian Cashman was calling the team, he talked to Bobby Abreu about his conditioning levels starting last season, and told him that if he did not get a verbal commitment from him about his condition entering camp, he would have to reconsider his option year, which amounts to $16 million. Abreu expressed his desire to remain a Yankee, and promised to enter camp in shape and stay in shape for the entire season. Which, as he looks entering spring training, he is a man of his word. So as you can see, conditioning is being stressed heavily this spring, and seems to already be showing dividends.
*Rumor Mill* Some even say that it was Girardi’s style spring training, and concentration on conditioning, that won him the job over “Donny Baseball.” Saying that Don Mattingly would not have been so tough on them in spring training.
