Phillies spring training draws nearer and nearer as their equipment truck begins the journey down to Clearwater today with everything the team needs.
Phillies spring training officially begins in less than a week with the first pitcher and catcher workouts starting Feb. 14. With the start six days away and counting, Philadelphia’s equipment truck begins the trip to Florida today.
According to Google Maps, the drive from Citizens Bank Park to Specturm Field in Clearwater takes just under 16 hours, spanning 1,060 miles. In this video released by the Phils, equipment manager Dan O’Rourke says they will try to leave by 11 A.M. Wednesday and arrive by Friday morning.
Tomorrow is #TruckDay! Take a look at the preparation that goes into sending all the #Phillies gear down to Clearwater. 🚚 pic.twitter.com/FpcRFmci3f
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) February 7, 2017
According to Rourke, the team is bringing:
"10,000 12 oz POWERADE cups2,400 baseballs2,000 short and long sleeve shirts1,200 bats600 pair of pants600 batting practice hats450 pair of socks350 pair of shorts250 batting practice tops200 fleeces200 light jackets150 pair of batting gloves140 batting helmets125 leather and elastic belts75 assorted spike, plastic and turf shoes40 heavy jackets25 sets of golf clubs20 coolers and a half pallet of POWERADE mix6 bikes1 Phanatic hot dog launcher"
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O’Rourke offered an interesting comment on one of the lesser-known parts of having a younger team. He told Mike DeNardo of CBS Philly:
"“The only thing different is that we have a lot of single players, or players with not a lot of children. So we have less bicycles and little tricycles and stuff like that. So we do have less personals with a lot of single players.”"
The Phils have the second-youngest roster in the majors at 25.3 years old. Compared to the past several years where they had plenty of veterans in the clubhouse, it makes sense that the team needs less stuff for players’ families.
Next: Phils Announce New Jersey Numbers
Only in baseball do fans get excited over a truck carrying equipment, but that’s what make those fans special.