For proof that most of spring training doesn't matter, see Miami Marlins Kyle Stowers

Alright Miami Marlins fans, imagine this question being posed in my best old school movie trailer guy voice:

In a world where Kyle Stowers averaged one less walk a week last spring...do you even remember who Kyle Stowers is?

Last year, much was made of the physical similarities between Stowers and Joey Weimer. However, as another spring training approaches, I think it's important for every Marlins fan to take a beat and realize how close we came to Stowers being the rando that kinda looked like Weimer. Had Stowers finished his last camp with even just four fewer walks, he probably doesn't make the team. Many fans, myself included, were guilty of questioning what kind of message it sent to the rest of the clubhouse that he did crack the Opening Day roster with that .175 BA, .365 OBP be darned. Four fewer walks would have dropped him down to .312 OBP, well behind eventual call-up Heriberto Hernandez and miles behind Troy Johnston. Much harder to defend.

Admittedly, the injuries to Connor Norby and Jesus Sanchez probably would have gotten him there anyway. If they were healthy though? Different story.

Bottom-line? Almost nothing you see this spring should be taken as predictive of anything.

Certainly nothing Stowers did last spring portended the All-Star campaign to come, even allowing for full credit being awarded for that solid OBP. A fact he was able to joke about himself in an interview with Fish on First when camp opened Monday that touched on not changing his approach now that he's much more established. Given how last spring went...he might want to consider mixing up that approach at least a teensy bit. Still, the point stands that spring stats aren't always as informative as fans would want.

Pitchers will be busy working on developing new pitches or finetuning old ones. Half the hitters will be focusing more on improving conditioning than on making contact. Or, as appears to have been the case with Stowers last spring, perhaps working more on pitch selection and that eye at the plate more than knocking it out of the park. Consequently, how good or how bad numbers look on the surface over the next six weeks will likely have been goosed significantly by factors that just won't be there during the regular season.

Of course, there are some exceptions. Injuries. Changes in pitch velocity. New pitches. Massive changes in how a player is deployed in the lineup. These things can matter and offer a clue about what to expect in the season to come.

Otherwise? Just sit back and enjoy that baseball is back. Because not much else that you see is going to matter.