Jack Riedel Walks, Walks Off

HOUSTON—Seeing hitters in the spring can prove difficult. For me, unless I’m at a major tournament, I’ll see one game, two if I’m lucky. So maybe three or four plate appearances. Anything more is a bonus. Given the players I’m watching, most opponents actively avoid pitching to them, and sometimes the lack of strikes seen is an ability thing. On Saturday, I headed to Memorial HS, TX, to see SS Jack Riedel, a North Carolina recruit. In his first two at-bats, he walked twice, hardly seeing anything near the zone, and I was worried I wasn’t going to see him swing the bat, much less have anything to talk about from the day. But patience is a virtue and it paid off on this day.