01-14-2009, 09:53 PM
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->For starters ... well, that's where young Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija wants to wind up when the defending NL Central champs break camp in Arizona this spring.
Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Rich Harden are penciled in as the top four starters, and Samardzija would like a shot as the fifth. A starter in most of his college and minor-league career, Samardzija was 1-0 with a 2.28 ERA and one save in 26 games as a reliever after his late-July call-up last season.
"I would love to [start]," Samardzija said. "All you want is a shot, especially being a young guy. My arm feels good. I just want to go into spring training competing and having fun."
Samardzija, an All-America wide receiver at Notre Dame, struck out 25 batters in 272/3 innings last season. He turns 24 next week, and at times he has to remind himself to keep his competitiveness in check.
"I get pretty excited on the mound, whether it's good or bad," he said. "I want to ride the line kind of in the middle. When you throw in all the fans and all the TV and everything, it's easy to get pumped up and kind of lose your mind. I just have to take a deep breath and relax.
"Pitching in the playoffs was a lot of fun. It's like when you get a taste of something, then you want more of it."
Samardzija would be competing with Sean Marshall and Chad Gaudin for the fifth starter's spot if general manager Jim Hendry is unable to acquire an established veteran such as San Diego's Jake Peavy. He has confidence in his repertoire.
"I have always thrown my fastball [well], and I want to get my other three pitches at the same level so I can have the confidence to throw them at any time," Samardzija said. "The splitter was working well for me last year. The slider was on and off, so I've been working on that. I didn't get to throw the change-up a lot. It's hard mixing in four pitches coming out of the bullpen."
Samardzija started 26 games between Class A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee in 2007. He said the switch from short-inning reliever to starter would require no major arm adjustments.
Manager Lou Piniella and pitching coach Larry Rothschild will make the final decision.
"Right now it's hard to predict which way to go with this," Rothschild said. "He'll get some innings, and it will become more evident."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Link(Tribune)
Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Rich Harden are penciled in as the top four starters, and Samardzija would like a shot as the fifth. A starter in most of his college and minor-league career, Samardzija was 1-0 with a 2.28 ERA and one save in 26 games as a reliever after his late-July call-up last season.
"I would love to [start]," Samardzija said. "All you want is a shot, especially being a young guy. My arm feels good. I just want to go into spring training competing and having fun."
Samardzija, an All-America wide receiver at Notre Dame, struck out 25 batters in 272/3 innings last season. He turns 24 next week, and at times he has to remind himself to keep his competitiveness in check.
"I get pretty excited on the mound, whether it's good or bad," he said. "I want to ride the line kind of in the middle. When you throw in all the fans and all the TV and everything, it's easy to get pumped up and kind of lose your mind. I just have to take a deep breath and relax.
"Pitching in the playoffs was a lot of fun. It's like when you get a taste of something, then you want more of it."
Samardzija would be competing with Sean Marshall and Chad Gaudin for the fifth starter's spot if general manager Jim Hendry is unable to acquire an established veteran such as San Diego's Jake Peavy. He has confidence in his repertoire.
"I have always thrown my fastball [well], and I want to get my other three pitches at the same level so I can have the confidence to throw them at any time," Samardzija said. "The splitter was working well for me last year. The slider was on and off, so I've been working on that. I didn't get to throw the change-up a lot. It's hard mixing in four pitches coming out of the bullpen."
Samardzija started 26 games between Class A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee in 2007. He said the switch from short-inning reliever to starter would require no major arm adjustments.
Manager Lou Piniella and pitching coach Larry Rothschild will make the final decision.
"Right now it's hard to predict which way to go with this," Rothschild said. "He'll get some innings, and it will become more evident."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Link(Tribune)
@TheBlogfines