Ordinarily, the idea behind a pickoff move is stealth. The idea is to keep baserunners guessing, especially given the limited numbers of pickoff moves teams were given when the rules were changed a few years ago.
But the San Diego Padres are going in the opposite direction with that particular concept. Instead, pitchers are throwing to what AJ Cassavell of MLB.com called a “Padres-themed” gong as they work on their pickoff moves, with the gong sporting the interlocking SD in the middle of their target at first base.
It’s an attempt to add some humor and sport to one of spring training’s most repetitive drills. It also saves first baseman from having to be part of the drill as pitchers repeat their throws.
“It just makes things a little bit more entertaining,” said right-hander David Morgan. “You hit it right in the middle, it makes that noise. And once you hear it, you’re like, ‘I kind of want to do that again.’”
The concepts has apparently been used by Padres’ minor leaguers for years, but now it’s going big time with the big club. It’s not just being used for throws to first, either—according to Cassavell, Padres instructors have used it for catchers throwing to second base and pitches throwing home as well.
The gong is circular and sits in the middle of a stand that’s placed on the ground in the target area. It’s also a time saver, especially during the early days of spring training, when there are minor leaguers all over the facility and it can be difficult to come up with players to take throws or otherwise be part of a given drill.
Naturally, there’s competition. Big leaguers being the competitive types they usually are, the gong became the object of attention as part of a “catcher’s Olympics.” One of the events was throws to second base, with three points for hitting the gong on the fly and one for doing it on the bounce.
“We were throwing at a strike zone the other day,” said Mason Miller, who probably has the ability to break one of these things if he humps his fastball up to triple digits. “It’s a similar concept, but this is a little bit more of an auditory reward, if you do a good job.”
New manager Craig Stammen doesn’t seem to mind, although this also sounds like one of those training devices that could be cause to lay in a supply of aspirin.
“The smiles, laughter -- it’s healthy,” said Stammen, a former reliever who could probably still take a run at this sort of thing himself. “You turn into a 10-year-old trying to make noise with pots and pans. Or maybe more like a 3-year-old. But it just brings some levity, and you’re also getting your work in.”