Nationals’ catcher Spencer Kieboom and co. are back to their old baking ways

Spring training is great and all, but at some point, there is such thing as playing too much baseball without... y’know, actually playing any baseball. As a result, players do lots of things to pass the time between spring training and the season... whether if it’s hanging out with their family, going to the Daytona 500, or, yes, baking.

Last season, former Nats’ pitching prospect Lucas Giolito and current Nats’ prospects Spencer Kieboom and Nick Lee found that whipping up a new culinary concoction every now and then was the key to getting through the long months of late winter.

By the end of spring training 2016, the three were whipping up new baked goods like clockwork, in between sessions of Rocket League.

Most fans eagerly awaited the return of the baking sessions all through the 2016 regular season, into the postseason and then the offseason. Then, tragedy struck as the Nats traded Lucas Giolito away as a part of a package that brought back centerfielder Adam Eaton.

On that day, the baking gods—and probably Spencer Kieboom—cried a little.

However, tragedy could not deter Kieboom, who is back on his way to making the best sweets on Florida’s east coast.

The first part of his mission was figuring out who would replace Giolito (and apparently Lee, who appears to be rooming elsewhere this season). The first replacement pick was a natural selection; Carter Kieboom, Spencer’s younger brother (and the Nats’ 2016 first-round draft pick) got the call-up. Kieboom’s second pick was his new roommate, Double-A pitching prospect John Simms.

With his next tweet, the elder Kieboom revealed two crucial ingredients to baking night: the first being that his fiance, Christa was joining the baking team. The second, of equal importance, revealed that whatever the crew was making, it would involve apples, among other crucial ingredients.

Kieboom has also added a new element to this year’s baking nights: homemade GIFs, as we can truly see the full glory of John Simms almost cutting his hand below.

(Update: It appears that the AirBnB did not have a peeler.)

We can also see Carter Kieboom throw some sour cream into the mixer:

As it turned out, the group baked what looks like an Apple Pie, per John Simms’ photo.

Spencer Kieboom confirmed the news: the baked good is an apple pie with streusel. Rejoice, everyone!