SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez worked out with several current and future football stars in Orlando, Fla., but he insists he didn't develop the type of muscle that inhibits a baseball player.
Specifically, Gonzalez appears larger in the biceps. It's not cartoonish, but still it is noticeable and could be concerning. If big biceps helped a player throw -- and the ability to erase baserunners is one of Gonzalez's many attributes -- pitchers would have them.
• Spring Training:Tickets | Schedule | More
But Gonzalez, who trained at speed and performance coach Tom Shaw's center with coaches Brian Stamper and Bert Whigham, took special care to make sure bigger arms don't lead to shorter throws.
"What's important for me when I'm lifting hard is I want to be flexible, so I stretched a lot with my upper body and my lower body," Gonzalez said. "After working out, I was sure that I'd run and I always played catch. It was part of my routine.
"It can affect you if you don't throw. I'd lift in the mornings, work pretty hard, then run. And in the afternoon, I'd do my whole baseball program so that it doesn't affect me."

Of course, arm strength is part of power hitting. If Gonzalez can add a few more feet in distance and height -- with the fence in front of the bullpen increased in height from eight feet to 16 feet, six inches -- more power to him. He finished last year with 42 home runs.
Rockies first-base coach and outfield and baserunning instructor Eric Young noted that he paid no attention to the larger arms, but he was happy to see that the rest of Gonzalez remained lean.
"I watched him throw when he came here, and he's good to go," Young said. "And you see his waist and all that, and he's really trim and quick. I think he's in for a big year."