He's ready

The Grand Rapids Press talks with West Michigan Whitecaps manager Joe DePastino.

A sure sign spring is right around the corner: major league pitchers and catchers reported to their respective spring training camp sites last week.

It will be another couple of weeks before West Michigan Whitecaps manager Joe DePastino, who guided the Detroit Tigers' Class A minor league team to the Midwest League playoffs last season in his first year on the job, reports to camp, though.

Entering his second season, DePastino will be more familiar with how the Tigers do things and he's excited about getting back to work.

"I can't wait," DePastino said from his home in Sarasota, Fla. last week. "The biggest thing for me last season was learning and knowing exactly how many pitchers each pitcher can throw that day and learning how to use the bullpen.