Boise's second-year general manager Joe Lederer stressed last month that he expects Boise to be much improved from last year's club that went 77-85. If the team's 10-5 record halfway through spring training is any indication, it seems Lederer isn't just giving out empty promises."Well, it is just the spring," Lederer reminded the media. "Weird things happen during these exhibition games. Teams are still rounding into shape. A lot of prospects and fringe players trying to make the roster tend to see the majority of playing time through fifteen games. I'm happy how we've looked so far but we shouldn't be patting ourselves on the back in March."
Several of the Spuds' own young players are having excellent springs so far, starting with the team's top two prospects. Shortstop Motonobu Yamashita gave the team a scare when he pulled up lame in Boise's first game of the spring but the talented 21-year-old only missed four games and has returned swinging a hot bat. In 27 plate appearances, "Goldie" is slashing .360/.407/.600, with two triples and a stolen base. Yamashita is currently in a battle for the open shortstop position with veterans Norm Smith (.278/.316/.389 this spring) and Joaquín Torres (.357/.438/.571). Budding superstar Félix Román busted out of the gate, slugging three home runs in the team's first five games. Román has cooled off but still sports a slash line of .250/.345/.604 this spring at just twenty years of age. Not to be outdone is 21-year-old Ricardo Ruíz, who has popped three spring dingers en route to a .944 OPS.
It should come to no surprise that Dennis French finds himself across the spring training leaderboards, hitting .404/.446/.712 in twelve starts. One encouraging sign has been the play from new Spud Rob Thomas, who was brought over in a winter trade with Yellow Springs to battle for the third base job. In nine games, the former All-Star is hitting .500 with a handful of extra-base hits. Right fielder Pedro Holguín, a reserve for Boise in 2039, has stepped up his play in attempts to not only make the final 27-man roster, but insert himself into the conversation of starting corner outfielder. In eleven starts, Holguin has shown his keen batting eye, logging seven walks to only one strikeout, all contributing to a slash line of .292/.485/.458.
Penciled-in starters Hank Brewer (.508 OPS) and Ramón Vela (.469 OPS) have struggled in the early going. A major decline from their 2039 seasons -- 4.3 and 2.0 WAR respectively -- could spell trouble for the upstart Spuds.
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While a majority of the pitching performances to date are less than excellent, Boise pitchers are compiling strikeouts at a much higher rate than they did last year. "It's early, guys are still shaking off the rust from the winter," said pitching coach Bob Blaisdell. "We're really focusing on limiting our guys' workloads in the spring until the last two weeks. Most of the progress we've seen has been during instructionals or side sessions. We've really moved towards a more scientific approach in pitch design and taking these results and applying them to real game scenarios."
Over the off-season, Boise invested in Rapsodo and Trackman technology not only at Grigg Memorial Stadium, but all home fields in the organization's minors as well as their spring training facility. Last year, Boise was near the bottom in the Frick for walks allowed and strikeout rate. During the off-season, Lederer signed several under-the-radar power arms to help improve their metrics and not rely too much on what should be an excellent overall team defense.
"This PITCHf/x data is new to an old guy like me," laughed Blaisdell. "But I know this is where the game is going and we plan to be on the forefront of this movement. I think we'll see it take affect on the diamond this year, you just watch."
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In conjuction with the new 2040 Brewster Baseball Association schedule, Boise released their promotional schedule for all home games this year:
| Date | Opponent | Promotion |
|---|---|---|
| April 7 | Calgary | Home Opening Day/Magnetic Team Schedule Giveaway |
| April 8 | Calgary | Johnson League Frontier Division Poster Giveaway |
| April 10 | Charm City | Team Batting Helmet/$5 All-You-Can-Eat Loaded Fries Presented by Ore-Ida™ |
| April 13 | Jacksonville | Friday Night Fireworks |
| April 24 | Las Vegas | Poker Chip Set Giveaway (Adults 18+) |
| May 10 | Montreal | Sunglasses Giveaway |
| May 19 | Phoenix | Hank Brewer T-Shirt Jersey Giveaway |
| May 25 | Charlotte | Friday Night Fireworks |
| June 8 | Calgary | Friday Night Fireworks |
| June 12 | Brooklyn | Team Trading Card Set Giveaway |
| June 29 | Las Vegas | Friday Night Fireworks |
| July 4 | Brooklyn | Patriotic Spuds Hat Giveaway/Fourth of July Fireworks |
| July 13 | Atlantic City | Friday Night Fireworks |
| July 18 | Edmonton | Dennis French Autographed Mini Bat Giveaway |
| August 1 | Montreal | Spuds Socks Presented by Stance™ |
| August 3 | Wichita | Friday Night Fireworks |
| August 17 | New Orleans | Friday Night Fireworks |
| August 28 | Mexico City | Back-To-School Backpack Giveaway (Kids under 18) |
| August 31 | Edmonton | Friday Night Fireworks |
| September 14 | Phoenix | Friday Night Fireworks |
| September 19 | San Antonio | Pancho Germán Bobblehead Giveaway |
| September 21 | San Antonio | Friday Night Fireworks |
| September 26 | Wichita | Spuds Beanie Giveaway |
| September 28 | Mexico City | Friday Night Fireworks |
| October 1 | Mexico City | Fan Appreciation Day |
The first 5000 fans will be treated with a set of logo'd poker chips on April 24th when Boise hosts Las Vegas.
