Joel Zumaya was a member of last year's bumper crop of rookies and his stellar work as a set-up man helped the Tigers advance to the World Series. He used a blazing fastball to get his job done and regularly reached triple digits. He's a closer in waiting, with flame tattoos on his forearms, some wacky facial hair and that stinking cheese from his right hand, but may take a step backward if he follows through on some of his plans.
"There aren't going to be too many 101s and 102s out there this year," Zumaya said. "I'm going to go out there and pitch this year. I hope I get those ground balls. It's not too big of an adjustment. It's getting ahead in the count and trying to walk fewer people. I don't want to try to strike out the whole world this year. I know I can get outs by getting the guy to pop up or roll into a double play. I really don't need to throw 100 m.p.h. all the time. I can get a guy out with a 95 m.p.h. sinker and have him easily ground to second for a double play, and I'm out of the inning."
It sounds good but it's much easier said than done. Zumaya gave up just 56 hits in 83 innings last year and it's amazing how many of those ground balls he'd like to induce come with a pair of eyes that find holes in the infield. Zumaya did walk a guy every other inning but when you strike people out it's a lot easier to pitch around a little wildness.
- Sam Perlozzo is going to try a new approach in Baltimore this season: Winning games - "You have to change the losing mentality in some way," Perlozzo said. "The first part is to add better players. The second part is to get them to play as a team and trust each other. We added better players, we have a good staff and now it's up to us to have a better team. I am not going to relax. There were times last year where I knew that we were just as good as we were, but the worst thing you can say is that, 'It is what it is.' That's what breeds losing. 'It is what it is' makes you a loser."
- Sometimes bloggers have a rosy glow,vtoo. Mike Pindelski of Beyond the Box Score is touting the following five guys as stealth Cy Young candidates - Rich Hill, Scott Olsen, Randy Johnson, Anthony Reyes and Clay Hensley.
- Curt Schilling isn't going to let the existence of Johan Santana get in the way of his delusions. "I’m going to do what I have to do to get ready," he said. "I’m going to work my ass off to improve the things I need to do to improve to be the best pitcher in the game, and I’m going to take the ball every fifth day."
- Two Japanese teams made inquiries into signing Willie Bloomquist during the offseason but while the utility man says he'd like to play every day he's not willing to don a kimono to do it. "I'd prefer to stay here and play my days out here and play as long as I can," he said. "At some point, you know, never say never. It would be an awful tough transition to move my whole family over there. It would have to be a pretty sweet deal."
- C.C. Sabathia blames golf for injuries to his rib cage the last two seasons so he's got a new regimen planned for this year. "I'm definitely not playing this year. I can play more video games and throw more batting practice to little C.'' Prepare for a thumb injury and/or a line drive to the groin costing Sabathia time this season.
- Richard Hidalgo's attitude is just fine, even if his math is a little off. "Every time I get a chance, I have to do my best and get a hit," Hidalgo said. "If I don't get my hits, I just have to work hard every day and just look good in the field." If he doesn't hit he's not getting a job.
- Carlos Silva was awful last season and is trying to add a second pitch to his repetoire to help improve his results this season. Johan Santana's helping him. "You cannot live in this game with just one pitch as a starter," Santana said. "He knows that, and now he's working on it." Santana's right but it's going to take more than a changeup to fix Silva's problems. In other shitty Twins pitcher news, Sidney Ponson is set to make his first start of the spring. "He told me he was nervous," Gardenhire said. "And that always makes you feel good, because that means he's ready for this." Nervous, drunk, six of one, half a dozen of the other.
(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
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