Best shape of my life version 2013

[lidspinner]

The worse part of the this thread is every single year I open it up and read every post and I say to myself that I am in the worse shape of my life......so this makes like 4-5 years in a row that I have been in the worse shape of my life.....that is truly sad and I feel even worse than I did last year about it.....the saddest part is I won't do anything about it....you all are counting days to opening day while I am too but I am just as excited to get to GABP and eat a large nacho with extra cheese and jalapeños in the first inning...then follow that up in the 4th inning with an Italian sausage then have desert during the 8th inning that consists of a 3 way.......then I drive home and listen to the cowboy talk about UDF ice cream so I normally swing by the nearest UDF and fatten up some more.....

Now, multiply that by 30-45 times a year and you see why I am always in the worse shape and this thread is nothing more to me than a reminder that Pablo Sandoval and I have the same issues.

I wouldn't trade it for anything though....at least I am watching the Reds contend instead of suck.

Don't get me started on the 12 games a year that I sit in my inlaws seats at club 4192....my checking account takes a good hit during that stretch. Good food up there.

[DannyB]

Originally Posted by Marc D

Apparently Pablo Sandoval found it.

Or Mike Trout

According to Angels' beat writer Mike DiGiovanna, Trout weighed in at 240 pounds when he reported to camp this week.

http://fantasysource.sportingnews.co...draft-rankings

[RANDY IN INDY]

That seems like a lot of weight for a guy that is my height, 6' 1".

[mattfeet]

Originally Posted by RANDY IN INDY

That seems like a lot of weight for a guy that is my height, 6' 1".

I agree. Im 6'4 and weigh less than that (235). Im sure Trouty has a bit* more muscle than I do, but still...



*slight under-exaggeration

-Matt

[TSJ55]

That picture of Trout looks bad to me. 240# is a VERY large number for that kid I think. B. Harper has apparently been working hard too. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...-world-series/

[RANDY IN INDY]

Bulk is not always a good thing for baseball players.

[Captain13]

Originally Posted by RANDY IN INDY

Bulk is not always a good thing for baseball players.

And with a few exceptions, generally bulk is a bad thing in baseball players (expecially when they get to be 30 or so).

[RANDY IN INDY]

Originally Posted by Captain13

And with a few exceptions, generally bulk is a bad thing in baseball players (expecially when they get to be 30 or so).

For sure, and it goes against what a lot of folks think, regarding weight lifting and such. Have seen kids with wonderful swings get to high school, buy in to the football mantra and never be the same on the baseball field. Same goes for pitchers. Flexibility and core strength is so very important in the game of baseball.

[nheath22]

Mat Latos come on down?

@DallasLatos: For all the Reds twitter GM's out there, Mat walked into camp at 235 lbs. Lightest he's been in years. Carry on.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Wait, eating a lot of Raising Canes is not a good way to get in the best shape of your life, right?

OK, alright, cross me off the list. I am NOT in the best shape of my life. But man do I like those chicken fingers and Canes sauce.

[westofyou]

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/ar...rticleid=19699

Yes, the daily stories that come out of spring training that talk about a player being in the best shape of his life have long been cliché. However, Braves third baseman Juan Francisco really is in the best shape of his life, according to scouts.

“The belly is gone,” one scout said. “It looks like, to me, that he is finally going to take his career seriously.”

No one has ever questioned Francisco’s raw power, but the Reds grew weary of waiting for him to make a full commitment to conditioning and raising his level of play. They traded him to the Braves for reliever J.J. Hoover last year at the end of spring training. Braves general manager Frank Wren and manager Fredi Gonzalez told Francisco point blank midway through last season that he needed to take his profession more seriously or risk being out of the game.

The 25-year-old Francisco took the advice, and now he and Chris Johnson, acquired from the Diamondbacks in a trade last month, figure to wage a spirited battle this spring to replace the retired Chipper Jones at the hot corner. The lefty-swinging Francisco would get the long end of a platoon, but Gonzalez says he would comfortable with someone winning the job outright.

One scout compared Francisco to another former Reds third baseman, who did not find success until he switched organizations—Edwin Encarnacion. Encarnacion, now a Blue Jay, blossomed last season when he hit .280/.384/.557 with 42 home runs.

“Francisco has that type of power,” the scout said. “It wouldn’t shock me if he hit 40 some year, it really wouldn’t.”

[traderumor]

“Greene has that type of power,” the scout said. “It wouldn’t shock me if he hit 40 some year, it really wouldn’t.”

[Scrap Irony]

Fearless Prediction: If Francisco drops that much weight, he'll be an All-Star.

[jmcclain19]

“Encarnacion has that type of power,” the scout said. “It wouldn’t shock me if he hit 40 some year, it really wouldn’t.”

[mth123]

Originally Posted by Scrap Irony

Fearless Prediction: If Francisco drops that much weight, he'll be an All-Star.

I like JJ Hoover, but I still think this will prove a bad trade as time passes.