Sandy brings heat to live BP: 'He looked like his old self'

JUPITER, Fla. -- About halfway through Sandy Alcantara’s live batting practice on Wednesday morning, new Marlins pitching coach Daniel Moskos had a message for his ace.

“To ‘go easy,’” Alcantara said. “I don't know how to control my velo. Today was hard for me, because they told me to be a little bit slow. But on my last two pitches, I just tried to go a little bit harder.”

In a change from custom, Miami moved its bullpen sessions to the game mounds at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium backfields. Despite the club’s first full-squad workout not taking place until Monday, Derek Hill, Liam Hicks, Albert Almora Jr., Connor Norby and Griffin Conine stood in the box against Alcantara for the first pitchers and catchers workout of the spring.

Alcantara, who hasn’t pitched in a game since September 2023 due to Tommy John surgery, kept his velocity in the lower-90s -- for the most part -- when his adrenaline didn’t kick in too much. He mixed in his four-seamer, two-seamer, changeup and slider during his 21-pitch session.

“He was throwing hard,” said Nick Fortes, who projects to be Alcantara’s primary catcher for the first time in his career. “They told him he had to dial it back a little bit a couple times. He looked really good. Pitches were moving like crazy. He looked like his old self.”

The 29-year-old Alcantara’s competitive juices were flowing in a more game-like atmosphere, as evidenced by the 95 mph on the radar gun and a pitch that brushed back Norby.

“I told him not to throw a two-seamer in, mid-to-upper, and he did exactly that,” Norby said. “I knew he would. He looked good. He's one of best pitchers in baseball. You want to face him. And obviously it's hard. It's even harder on the first day of seeing live [pitching]. But that's when the competitor comes out of you in those situations. So that was cool. And he looked good for February 12.”

You’ll have to excuse Alcantara, who had been waiting a while for this moment. A year ago, he watched behind the chain-link fence as mentee Eury Pérez opened eyes at camp. Two months later, Pérez would unfortunately undergo Tommy John surgery, joining Alcantara in the rehab process.

Though Alcantara threw live batting practice last September for the first time since the procedure, he was then shut down with the season winding down and the club in last place. If all goes according to plan, Alcantara will use this Spring Training to prepare for what should be his fifth Opening Day assignment come March 27 against the Pirates at loanDepot park.

Manager Clayton McCullough was in town with the Dodgers when Alcantara threw that live BP five months ago. Wednesday’s development was a welcome sight for the new skipper.

“In so many ways, he just sets a great tone, and a great example,” McCullough said. “He's done this at this level for a long time, at a very high level. With the composition of our group here in camp -- and then a lot of them just either having some Major League service time or getting started -- to see someone that's done it, done it at a very high level, and the way they just think about doing everything [is beneficial].

“You go watch him in the weight room. You watch him during his throwing program. Everything is intentional. There's a real focus to what he's doing. And that's what the great ones do. Not only what he does on the field, but having the opportunity for our group to just see how he goes about his business, and the professionalism is just going to have a cascading effect.”

The Marlins will need Alcantara’s workhorse mentality with an inexperienced rotation behind him. Hours after the workout ended, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix did add a reinforcement by signing veteran right-hander Cal Quantrill.

“Sandy threw a side session today and looked like vintage Sandy,” Bendix said. “It was great to see. He looks fantastic. Delivery's as smooth as ever, velocity, everything was exactly where we want it to be. The first day of pitchers and catchers, he's right where we want him to be.”