SCOTTSDALE http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , Ariz. (AP) — Carson Kelly and Luke the Paul Goldschmidt trade. No matter what they do for the rest of their careers, good or bad, they will be linked to the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ fan-favorite first baseman.But the Diamondbacks do not consider them replacements for Goldschmidt.Goldschmidt was one of the best players in baseball during his eight seasons in Arizona, so matching his production would be difficult. Plus, Kelly is a catcher and Weaver a right-handed starting pitcher.The Diamondbacks just want them to be the best versions of themselves they can be.“When they were traded over, those were the first conversations that I began to have with them about just being themselves, embracing the organization the way we’re embracing them,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We chose them for a reason: because they’re very special players.”Both are looking forward to a fresh start.For Kelly, the trade should mean an opportunity for more playing time.He’s in a competition with Alex Avila, John Paul Murphy and Caleb Joseph to be part of Arizona’s three-man catcher rotation, but should get more playing time than he did with the Cardinals.A converted third baseman, the 23-year-old Kelly was considered a top prospect and the catcher of the future in St. Louis, but never got a realistic shot in the majors with Yadier Molina blocking the plate.Molina is still going strong at 36 and last year signed a contract extension through 2020, which likely would have meant two more seasons of waiting for Kelly.“Yadi might play another 100 years. You never know,” Kelly said with a laugh. “The guy’s incredible in his preparation and I’ve learned so much from him, but this is my opportunity to go out and continue to grow here.”With Molina entrenched, Kelly spent most of the past three seasons in the minors. When Kelly did get big-league opportunities, he didn’t know when they would come or how long they would last.The small windows led Kelly to press Jeimer Candelario Jersey , which rarely works out well in baseball. As a result, he’s hit .154 with no homers and 10 RBIs in 63 major-league games.“You want to go out there and, ‘Oh, I’m going to get three hits and do all these great things,’ and you go out there and try to do too much, which as baseball players know, is one of the worst possible things you can do,” said Kelly, who hit .289 across two minor-league levels last year. “I think here will be a new learning experience for me and a new chapter in my book.”Weaver has a solid 2017 season, going 7-2 with a 3.38 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings. The right-hander struggled at times last season, going 7-11 with a 4.95 ERA in 30 games.The 25-year-old had some strong starts late in the season, but was hurt by earlier blow-up outings that ballooned his ERA.“It was a blur of a season,” he said. “Things kind of pile on top of each other. You can really get in trouble if you don’t take a second to breathe a little bit. It can really unravel. That said, I don’t think the season was as bad as the statistics said.”Weaver has a chance to crack Arizona’s opening day rotation behind Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray and Zack Godley.The key will be consistency.Every pitcher has bad outings, but the good ones are able to bounce back quickly. With a few minor adjustments, Weaver believes he can get back to being the pitcher he was in 2017.“It’s just learning to minimize those mistakes when things aren’t quite going your way,” he said. “You learn to deal with those over time http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , but at this level guys are a little more consistent and better what they do. It’s just trying to get on their level and be better at what they’re thinking.” TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Troy Tulowitzki got some payback against the Toronto Blue Jays in his first spring training at-bat for the New York Yankees.Tulowitzki homered on his first swing in a Yankees uniform and jawed at the Blue Jays dugout after rounding third base following his drive Monday off Marcus Stroman, a friend and former teammate.“You know what happened, so no doubt about it, it was definitely extra, extra special,” Tulowitzki said after the Yankees’ 3-0 win. “That was a team that basically told me I couldn’t play anymore. It is spring training, it is what it is, but it was a big day for me.”A five-time All-Star, who has not played in the major leagues since July 2017, Tulowitzki missed last season because of surgery on April 2 for bone spurs in his right and left heels. He was released by the Blue Jays on Dec. 14, then signed with the Yankees on Jan. 4 for the major league minimum $555,000. That will be offset against the $20 million he is owed this year by Toronto, which also is responsible for $18 million in future years.He took a strike from Stroman leading off the bottom of the first, then homered down the right-field line on the next pitch, an opposite-field drive just inside the foul pole.“It’s the biggest spring training homer I’ve ever hit,” a smiling Tulowitzki said. “With that being said, I got a little pumped up there. People said I’ll never make it back on a baseball field again. Anybody that tells you you’re done Chad Bettis Jersey , you’ve a little extra fire.”Tulowitzki’s five-year son Taz, who was at the game, was a motivating factor during dad’s rehabilitation from surgery.“He was 3 the last time he was watching games, and he doesn’t remember that,” Tulowitzki said. “To get back out there and have him see me again, that what I thought about each and every day.”A smiling Stroman said Tulowitzki homering off him is “not going to happen in-season, I promise you that.”“Tulo, I can’t tell you how much work he’s put in to get back to healthy,” Stroman said. “I’ve kind of been with him through a lot of that process. I couldn’t be more ecstatic or more happy for someone than him because I’ve learned so much about the game of baseball and so much about life from that man.“That’s my guy,” Stroman added. “I would always love to compete with him. I would always prefer him on my team. I’m excited to see him somewhere being healthy, back out there doing that Tulo can do.”Now 34, Tulowitzki is projected to start at shortstop while Didi Gregorius recovers from Tommy John surgery last Oct. 17. Gregorius is expected to return to the Yankees between June and August.“He definitely seemed a little fired up,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Look, he’s had that kind of edge to him, something to prove really since we put eyes on him this winter. Happy for him because I know this day was a big deal.”
