PEORIA, Ariz. -- After a flurry of moves to round out their roster, there’s excitement ringing throughout Padres camp. You can hear it.
Or … maybe that sound is the Padres-themed gong that has worked its way into throwing drills this spring.
Indeed, Padres pitchers spent Thursday morning working through a series of pickoff drills using a circular gong with an interlocking SD in the middle as their target at first base. The percussion instrument serves as an ideal target -- while bringing some light-hearted (and noisy) competition to the drill.
“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.’”
“We were throwing at a strike zone the other day,” said Mason Miller. “It’s a similar concept, but this is a little bit more of an auditory reward, if you do a good job.”
Evidently, the gong has been a part of the Minor League side of Padres camp dating back a few years. Padres instructors have used it for competitions among Minor League players -- whether it’s catchers throwing to second base, infielders throwing home or pitchers throwing pickoffs.
The gong made its way over to big league camp earlier this week for the Padres’ “catchers Olympics.” One event: Throws to second base. Three points for hitting the gong on the fly, one point on a bounce.
Now, the gong might be in big league camp to stay.
In many ways, the gong -- circular and sitting a couple inches off the ground -- almost perfectly mimics the target zone for throws that require tags.
Sure, it might be more helpful to be throwing to a live catcher or infielder. But, well, it’s Spring Training, and those groups are usually busy elsewhere. Plus, there’s a huge benefit to putting the throw on the money for an eventual tag.
But more than anything, the Padres’ gong is the perfect, um, instrument for mid-Feburary Cactus League instruction.
“The smiles, laughter -- it’s healthy,” said Padres manager Craig Stammen. “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.”