SPRING TRAINING NEWS
Nick Piecoro
Covering the DiamondbacksMelvin, Byrnes & Father Bullpen in TucsonSpring training isn’t officially underway until tomorrow, when the pitchers and the catchers, well, pitch and catch, out at the Kino Sports Complex on Sunday.
But in a bit of a bizarro world start to things here, who else walked into the clubhouse early Saturday morning but reliever Tony Pena, aka Adriano Rosario, aka The Guy Who Is Always Late To Tucson.
You see, when you lie to the U.S. government about your name, which Pena did some years back, the feds tend subsequently to be a little hesitant in giving you a visa. But credit the Diamondbacks’ front office for diligently securing Pena’s visa early this year and getting him into camp on time.
Pena, expected to be one of the club’s primary setup men, came through immediately: Not long after he walked in, he greeted bullpen coach Glenn Sherlock with a new nickname: Father Bullpen. We like that. It just might stick.
Others spotted in or around the clubhouse on Saturday: Eric Byrnes, Chad Qualls, Tony Barnette, Chris Roberson, Seth Etherton, Luke Carlin, Esmerling Vasquez, Reid Mahon and the Australian duo of Trent Oeltjen and Travis Blackley. Oh, and coaches Sherlock, Bryan Price and Chip Hale.
Not the most star-studded of casts, but no one was actually required to make an appearance. All guys have to do is let the team know they arrived in town, then show up Sunday for the workout.
(By the way, if you’re looking to catch Sunday’s workout, we were told it’s not going to start until noon-ish. Players who still need to get their physicals done will be doing so in the morning.)
Byrnes held court for a little while, as did manager Bob Melvin, but other than that, it was all quiet at TEP (aka TLB – Tucson ‘Lectric Ballpark).
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Some quotes Melvin’s session with reporters:
*On Max Scherzer’s condition: “He had a little soreness after the fall league, probably set him back. He’s probably not going to be throwing a pen the first day. He’s probably going to be a couple of days late as far as throwing a bullpen. Have a few more catch sessions before he gets on the mound. With the length of spring training, I don’t see any issues with him being ready for the start of the season.
*On prospect Daniel Schlereth, last year’s first-round pick out of UA: “He’s a standout guy right away, a power left-hander who has two plus pitches. He’s a guy that’s pitched in the Pac and had success. He could be a very quick mover in our organization and a guy I’m excited about taking a look at in this camp. He’s a first-round pick and when you have a college kid you expect him to move quickly and I think that’ll be the case with him.”
*On the need to release the other 103 names of players who tested positive in 2003: “I think if we’re going to move past this there’s a pretty good chance that all these names are going to have to come out so that we can move past it. You don’t want a trickle down effect every couple of months with somebody else where you’re readdressing this issue. … It’s kind of a double-edged sword. You don’t want to see those names come out, but I don’t know how you get past it unless those names do come out.”
*On Conor Jackson seeing time at first base against lefties: “(He) could, but Tony Clark also needs his at-bats. He’s been a key figure for us, too. To utilize his role to be that pinch hitter you expect to do the damage later in games, he does need some reps and some at-bats. I think you saw last year in San Diego he wasn’t able to get that. For him to be able to stay sharp he’s going to need some starts at first base. It’s certainly a possibility for Conor, but it’s not a central focus right now. Really not leaning toward that right now but it is an option.”
*On Manny Ramirez’s potential impact: “He had a little effect last year, so I would think he would potentially have an effect … He’s going to sign with the Dodgers, I think. I’ve already counted on that. When that happens I’m not altogether sure and if they were to go a couple of weeks into camp, if that would really affect him. I’m assuming he’s going to be with the Dodgers.”
*On the club’s mentality: “I think we have a little bit of an edge going into the season. Obviously we felt a little better after the 2007 season, even though we didn’t make it to the World Series. We were a team that was in first place for three quarters of the season and then didn’t finish there. I think we learned some things about ourselves last year, had a target on our back last year, so it was a little different feeling starting the season. Yet we had a great month of April and couldn’t follow it up, couldn’t find our rhythm the rest of the season. Second place isn’t where anybody wants to finish, it isn’t where we wanted to finish. I think you’ll see a little bit of an edge from these guys this year coming into camp.”
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Byrnes’ quotes:
*On his new role as the fourth outfielder: “Yeah, I don’t really look at it that way. Each year, when I’ve come into spring training, almost every year I’ve played this game I’ve had to compete and fight for playing time. I don’t look at this year as really any different than any other year. Sure there were times when I was coming off good years and I had a more secure spot. I went up and down nine times with the A’s. I’ve had good years and not had starting jobs coming into the next year. I’ve been released. This is nothing I’m not used to. This hasn’t been, you know, this fairy tale baseball career that I’ve lived. This has been something that I’ve fought and I’ve earned.”
*How he’s feeling: “I feel great. I feel real good. Going full speed right now. (Started going) actual full speed a couple of weeks ago.”
*So you’re trying to win a starting job? “Yes. Absolutely. I don’t look at my role as anything other. I’m coming in here and trying to fight for playing time. That’s it. Every time Bo-Mel goes to write the lineup card, I expect he’ll put the best nine players in there. My goal is to be one of the best nine. As far as I’m concerned, every year you come in there’s opportunities out there. The way I look at it, if I go out there and I’m healthy and play the way I’m capable of playing, I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t want to put my name in that lineup. That’s my approach to the situation.
“But even before we start talking about that, my biggest thing is, let’s get on the field first. All that other stuff is just a bunch of (BS) unless I’m healthy. It doesn’t matter. I just need to get healthy, get on the field and play the way I’m capable of playing. At no point last year, no point, not one day in spring training, not one day during the season, was I healthy. It’s my own fault. But I wasn’t healthy one day. I continued to try to push through it. Ultimately it cost me the season. Obviously it wasn’t good for myself or the team.”
*How long have you been hitting? “I’ve been hitting this whole time. I’ve actually been hitting since, I started hitting in September. Hitting wise I’m as confident with the work I’ve done this off-season as I’ve ever been coming into spring training.”
* Knowing you weren’t healthy, has it been hard to hear the criticisms about the contract? “No because it comes with the territory. People are going to say what they’re going to say but as far as I’m concerned I don’t play this game for people’s opinions. I play it for first and foremost my enjoyment of competition, my enjoyment of being out there. Look, people are going to write some great things about you when you’re doing well but when you’re going poorly people are going to have negative things to say. As far as I’m concerned, look, the only thing I did wrong last year was actually play and play when I shouldn’t have. We’ll see what people say. If it’s July and all of a sudden I’m heading to an All-Star game, was it a bad contract, I don’t know.”
*Disappointed to hear trade rumors? “No, not at all. It makes sense. The Diamondbacks made an investment in me and didn’t get the return that they had hoped for in the first year of the contract. I don’t blame them. Nothing ever came up, the rumors were just that. They never talked to me about it.
“As far as trades, the whole fourth outfielder thing, or anything else, none of that bothers me. First of all, the trade thing, I didn’t really plan on going anywhere. As far as I was concerned, I wanted to be here. I have enough confidence in my ability to know that if I’m 100 percent, I’m going to play. I mean that. It’s something that I’m going to have to earn, something I’m going to have to go out there and take.”
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Congrats to both Byrnes and Pena, who added new family members this off-season, Byrnes a daughter named Chloe and Pena a son, Justin.
They've traded away a lot of prospects over the past couple years and don't have the farm system or financial resources to make many moves. The NL West is a weak division. They're still contenders but I like their chances less now than in 07 or 08.
They've traded away a lot of prospects over the past couple years and don't have the farm system or financial resources to make many moves. The NL West is a weak division. They're still contenders but I like their chances less now than in 07 or 08.
