Watching spring training baseball is not the most intense experience when it comes to viewing live sporting events.
The fans in the stands look relaxed, the weather is warm and sunny, the players seem laid back.
It’s enough to make one forget about what exactly is taking place.
There are, after all, only so many spots available on the opening day roster of any baseball team and as the month of March ticks down toward the start of April, players are going to become aware of their presence on or off of that roster.
For some players making the team is a given. Dustin Pedroia doesn’t go home at night in Fort Meyers thinking, “I sure do hope I make the club this year.” That wasn’t always the case though. Five years ago Dustin Pedroia was in that unenviable position.
Entering the 2007 season Pedroia had started only 24 games in the majors, and while he was the favorite to become the Red Sox second baseman, he was not assured of any type of long-term stay, unless of course he performed well enough to earn it.
Five years later after a Rookie of the Year award, an MVP, two Gold Gloves and one World Series ring, spring training is nothing more than a preseason for Pedroia.
It’s not that way for everyone in Fort Meyers though. Especially not this year in the aftermath of the 2011 debacle, as there are numerous stories developing in the seemingly tranquil atmosphere of spring training.