Matt Wieters caught Alfredo Simon's bullpen session yesterday. And like the rest of us, he's amazed that the right-hander is less than a year removed from ligament-reconstructive surgery. "I was really impressed with the life he had on his fastball, especially coming off Tommy John," Wieters said. "His fastball was very lively. It was a lot more lively than I was expecting it to be this early in spring training."

Wieters also was impressed by Cla Meredith. "He really stuck out to me," Wieters said. "His slider was sharper and it seemed like he was a littler firmer on his fastball. He was a good pitcher for us last year, and this year it seems like he has even sharper stuff, at least at the beginning." The rest of the position players are due to report today, with the first full-squad workout taking place tomorrow after physicals. I sort of expected Josh Bell to be here early. I figured he might be eager to get in the cage with hitting coach Terry Crowley and work on that right-handed swing. Luke Scott showed up yesterday, but only because it'll take him a few days to shave that beard.