Feb. 28: Winners and losers from Friday’s Spring Training action
By Bill Felber
A few prospects made their presence felt during Spring Training action on Friday.
A veteran second baseman and a veteran pitcher showed up well during Spring Training action on Friday. So did a couple of hot minor league prospects.
The big moment Friday, though, involved an actual, real live triple play pulled off by a tandem of minor leaguers. Or was it?
Winner: Vidal Brujan, Tampa Bay Rays second baseman
How’s this for a solid brag on those long minor league bus trips: I took Stephen Strasburg to the showers.
Vidal Brujan isn’t going to make the Rays opening day roster, but he can regale his minor league teammates with that story.
In the second inning of Tampa’s eventual 8-1 win over the Nationals Friday, Brujan came up with a run in, Randy Arozarena on second, Michael Brousseau on first and one out. Strasburg challenged him and Brujan hammered the pitch off the wall in center, both runners scoring.
If that wasn’t good enough, Nats manager Dave Martinez made both Brujan’s day and his reputation, coming out to lift the hero of Washington’s run to the 2019 World Series flag.