JUPITER, Fla. -- As a tribute to the victims of the shootings last February at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the Marlins on Thursday morning paused practice for a 17-second moment of silence.
On the one-year anniversary of the tragic event in nearby Parkland, Fla., Miami's staff informed the players that at 10:17 a.m., they would take a short break from their daily drills.
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Right-hander Trevor Richards was among the pitchers throwing off the row of six mounds who stopped, removed his cap and observed the moment of silence.
"It was tough for the community down here," said Richards, who was with the team last Spring Training. "It's good to see the whole community come together. As you saw today, we remember them [in silence] for 17 seconds for the 17 victims. It's good to see everybody come together."
Stoneman Douglas High School is about 50 miles away from the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex.
"It's just down the road, not too far," Richards said. "It hits everybody here a little harder, just being in our backyard makes it a little special for us."
The shootings united all of South Florida, and last February, the Marlins invited the Stoneman Douglas baseball and softball teams to their first Spring Training game.
A year later, the Marlins paid their respects with their moment of silence.
"It was nice to take a moment, sit back and realize there is more outside than just baseball," Richards said.
Bye-bye beards
Razors were in and beards were out on Thursday at Marlins' camp.
Well, not totally out, but, per team policy, players sporting long beards were asked to trim them a bit. It's part of the organization's facial hair policy, which allows for beards -- as long as they are well-groomed.
The pitcher most affected is left-hander Caleb Smith, who had let his beard grow out the past few months.
"I shaved it once in the offseason for a wedding, but other than that, it's been growing the whole [off] season," Smith said Thursday morning. "This might be the longest it will get."
An hour later, Smith's beard was trimmed down.
"The Abe Lincoln look -- I'm not big on that, but we'll see where it goes," Mattingly said, before Smith shaved. "We had a talk today about it."

The Marlins have long had a facial hair policy, but it's not as strict as the Yankees. Since he was traded from New York to Miami before the 2018 season, Smith has twice been affected by the policy.
"I like to try to grow one, but I couldn't with the Yankees," Smith said.
He said it
"I feel like my spot is not secure. [But] it never is. I'm out here to work and compete, just like everybody else is. I'm out here working for a spot." -- Smith, on being in the mix of seven or eight starters competing for five rotation spots
Up next
Pitchers and catchers workouts resume on Friday around 9:15 a.m. ET at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex. Workouts are open to the public.