You gotta love spring training, right?
Reporters descend on major league camps to—
To do what? Report what? It’s just pitchers throwing to catchers. After one day of guys throwing balls to other guys, they are pleased to announce on texasrangers.com that, “Eovaldi impressing early.”
Impressing doing what? Did he bring cookies? Did he pull up in a nice car?
He’s been impressive the last three seasons when it counts, and when he’s been able to take the mound. Eovaldi made twenty starts in 2022, going 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA. He tied for the league lead in shutouts. With one. In 2021, he had more starts than anyone, with thirty-two, putting up a 3.75 ERA. He got nine starts in the shortened 2020 season with a 3.72 ERA.
His ERA+, his ranking against the league average with 100 being average, the past three years has been 129, 125, and 109.
When the thirty-three-year-old right-hander takes the mound, he’s been impressive when it being impressive matters.