It’s how you play the game

Spring training shows strengths and weaknesses

JUPITER — It’s time for an annual exhibition season warning: Don’t worry too much, or at all, about spring training statistics. That includes wins and losses.

Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly doesn’t care, and you shouldn’t either. But there are plenty of other variables he’ll look at starting this afternoon against the Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, both teams’ Grapefruit League opener.

“I hate to say it, [but] you’re not worried if you win or not,” Mattingly said. “You want to see the tempo that we’re playing with. Can this guy play fast? Just seeing what it looks like out there and how they’re reacting to situations.”

For hitters, the questions are many: Does he chase pitches outside of the zone? Swing too early? Move a runner when he’s supposed to? Get a guy in from third with less than two outs?

“Is there a panic in there with them?” Mattingly said.

It’s much of the same for pitchers: What’s his pace? Is he throwing strikes? Is he able to stay ahead of batters? Does he field his position well?

Those are the factors, more so than the box scores and aggregate numbers, that will help Mattingly and the Marlins’ other decisionmakers determine who wins their many majorleague roster job competitions: two outfielders, three starting pitchers, a couple of relievers, backup catcher and one or two other bench roles.

Because of that ambiguity, Mattingly won’t have an issue in complying with MLB’s spring training lineup guidelines.

The rule says each team’s starting nine needs to include at least four players who could make the Opening Day roster. It’s meant to ensure that road teams send a somewhat representative sample, so as to make sure fans get their money’s worth, among other reasons.

With 70 players on their spring training roster, and many of them having legitimate shots at making the 25-man version, it won’t be hard to fill out daily lineup cards.

“It’s going to be really easy,” Mattingly said. “We just did four lineups today and every one meets the qualifications because there’s a lot of different guys who can make our club that we look at internally and say, this guy legitimately could be the starting center fielder. This guy legitimately could be the starting right fielder.”

There is a limit to how much can be determined in February and March, though. Mattingly said that when it’s time to fill out a deeper organizational depth chart — to determine who might be the first callup in case of need at a given position — it’s not so much based on spring training as it is the regular season.

“Truly, spring for me gives you a chance to say, ‘Hey, this guy has a good feel for the game.’ And then what are they doing?” Mattingly said. “It’s a chance for everybody to be seen, for us to get eyes on them, for them to get comfortable. But the season tells you more.”

JEFF ROBERSON/AP Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly, left, gives a pat on the back to catcher J.T. Realmuto during spring training on Sunday.