3-2 Changeup
01-20-2003, 08:26 AM
Torres near next step in major-league dream
Monday, January 20, 2003
By Robert Dvorchak, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
BRADENTON, Fla. -- It sounds like a fairy tale, or at least like Tommy Maddox going from hotshot to insurance salesman to NFL quarterback. A talented pitcher, once projected as a hot prospect, walks away from the game for five years and takes up coaching, then feels the hunger to pitch again and gets the chance.
Pirates right-hander Salomon Torres was 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in five starts last season. . (H. Rumph Jr., Associated Press)
All Salomon Torres needs now is a happy ending.
In 2002, Torres breathed new life into his dream with the year he had at Class AAA Nashville and the month he spent with the Pirates. Now, he is penciled in as the No. 5 starter in the rotation. But as many as five other pitchers will be trying to bump him for the job when spring training rolls around.
"I realize the challenge is greater this year," Torres said before the five-day minicamp ended yesterday. "Last year was like a Cinderella story, a feel-good story. Now I have to put up the numbers."
Torres signed a minor-league contract while the Pirates were at minicamp last year, and only the most ardent baseball followers would have remembered him. He broke in with the Giants in 1993, then moved on to Seattle and Montreal while putting up some rather non-descript numbers -- an 11-25 record and an ERA over 5.00.
Having left the Expos midway through the 1997 season, Torres was a pitching coach in his native Dominican Republic but kept in shape by pitching some innings. The Pirates were interested in bringing him aboard as a coach until John Green, a special assistant to the general manager, told Dave Littlefield that Torres still had some life in his arm and wanted to try to pitch again.
With little to lose and in dire need of pitching, Littlefield offered Torres a minor-league contract and invited him to spring training. Although he showed bursts of being effective, Torres was shipped to Nashville to work on his command. The rust of being away for five years couldn't be scraped off in one spring.
"I was disappointed at first," Torres said. "But if I was the general manager, I would have done the same thing. I decided to make the most of things and worked on the things I needed to get better.
Torres lost his first two starts, then started to find his groove again. He went 4-1 with a 3.16 ERA in his final five minor-league starts and finished the season with 162 innings pitched.
The Pirates called him up in September. In his first major-league game in five years, Torres pitched eight shutout innings and combined with Mike Williams to defeat the Braves and former Cy Young Award winner Tom Glavine. Torres had gone 2,169 days between big-league victories.
"To me, coming back was like I never left the game," said Torres, who jokingly refers to his years away from baseball as a "little vacation."
Going 2-1 in five September starts was enough to give Torres an opportunity to make this season's rotation. It's his spot to win or lose.
"We're certainly rooting for it to be a nice story. But as nice a story as it is so far, he still hasn't established himself," Littlefield said.
Pitching coach Spin Williams echoed the same sentiments.
"It's hard to evaluate players on how they do in September," Williams said. "But I feel comfortable giving him an opportunity to be one of the starters. He's going to have to earn that job. You want to have choices."
Between the Pirates and Nashville, Torres threw nearly 200 innings last year -- the most work he has seen in 11 years. Admittedly, he was a little tired at the end of the season and found himself reaching back just to maintain his velocity.
"I was testing myself to go to the limit," Torres said. "I wanted to go the extra mile."
During the off-season, Torres concentrated on building stamina, especially in his lower body. And he managed to get in 50 innings of winter ball to tone up his arm.
"My legs are definitely stronger. Next to the arm, they're the most important thing for a pitcher," Torres said. "When I review the whole year, I feel really good. I gave it 100 percent. Regardless of the result, if you give 100 percent, you should feel good about yourself."
And now comes the next chapter -- the fight to make the rotation.
"It's up to me. I have a lot of confidence. But there's going to be a lot of competition. That's OK. It brings out the best in you. When you know you're going to make the team no matter what, you can take things for granted," Torres said. "At the end, they're going to pick whoever did the best. I'm looking forward to it."
If Tommy Maddox can be the comeback player of the year in football, Torres doesn't see why the baseball version shouldn't wind up in Pittsburgh.
"Do we have a comeback player of the year award?" Torres asked. "That would be nice."
NOTES -- The Pirates broke camp after a brief workout yesterday morning. On Saturday night, Gary Redus beat out Mike Lincoln for high game in the end-of-camp bowling tournament, but Lloyd McClendon's team finished first in spirited competition.
Monday, January 20, 2003
By Robert Dvorchak, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
BRADENTON, Fla. -- It sounds like a fairy tale, or at least like Tommy Maddox going from hotshot to insurance salesman to NFL quarterback. A talented pitcher, once projected as a hot prospect, walks away from the game for five years and takes up coaching, then feels the hunger to pitch again and gets the chance.
Pirates right-hander Salomon Torres was 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in five starts last season. . (H. Rumph Jr., Associated Press)
All Salomon Torres needs now is a happy ending.
In 2002, Torres breathed new life into his dream with the year he had at Class AAA Nashville and the month he spent with the Pirates. Now, he is penciled in as the No. 5 starter in the rotation. But as many as five other pitchers will be trying to bump him for the job when spring training rolls around.
"I realize the challenge is greater this year," Torres said before the five-day minicamp ended yesterday. "Last year was like a Cinderella story, a feel-good story. Now I have to put up the numbers."
Torres signed a minor-league contract while the Pirates were at minicamp last year, and only the most ardent baseball followers would have remembered him. He broke in with the Giants in 1993, then moved on to Seattle and Montreal while putting up some rather non-descript numbers -- an 11-25 record and an ERA over 5.00.
Having left the Expos midway through the 1997 season, Torres was a pitching coach in his native Dominican Republic but kept in shape by pitching some innings. The Pirates were interested in bringing him aboard as a coach until John Green, a special assistant to the general manager, told Dave Littlefield that Torres still had some life in his arm and wanted to try to pitch again.
With little to lose and in dire need of pitching, Littlefield offered Torres a minor-league contract and invited him to spring training. Although he showed bursts of being effective, Torres was shipped to Nashville to work on his command. The rust of being away for five years couldn't be scraped off in one spring.
"I was disappointed at first," Torres said. "But if I was the general manager, I would have done the same thing. I decided to make the most of things and worked on the things I needed to get better.
Torres lost his first two starts, then started to find his groove again. He went 4-1 with a 3.16 ERA in his final five minor-league starts and finished the season with 162 innings pitched.
The Pirates called him up in September. In his first major-league game in five years, Torres pitched eight shutout innings and combined with Mike Williams to defeat the Braves and former Cy Young Award winner Tom Glavine. Torres had gone 2,169 days between big-league victories.
"To me, coming back was like I never left the game," said Torres, who jokingly refers to his years away from baseball as a "little vacation."
Going 2-1 in five September starts was enough to give Torres an opportunity to make this season's rotation. It's his spot to win or lose.
"We're certainly rooting for it to be a nice story. But as nice a story as it is so far, he still hasn't established himself," Littlefield said.
Pitching coach Spin Williams echoed the same sentiments.
"It's hard to evaluate players on how they do in September," Williams said. "But I feel comfortable giving him an opportunity to be one of the starters. He's going to have to earn that job. You want to have choices."
Between the Pirates and Nashville, Torres threw nearly 200 innings last year -- the most work he has seen in 11 years. Admittedly, he was a little tired at the end of the season and found himself reaching back just to maintain his velocity.
"I was testing myself to go to the limit," Torres said. "I wanted to go the extra mile."
During the off-season, Torres concentrated on building stamina, especially in his lower body. And he managed to get in 50 innings of winter ball to tone up his arm.
"My legs are definitely stronger. Next to the arm, they're the most important thing for a pitcher," Torres said. "When I review the whole year, I feel really good. I gave it 100 percent. Regardless of the result, if you give 100 percent, you should feel good about yourself."
And now comes the next chapter -- the fight to make the rotation.
"It's up to me. I have a lot of confidence. But there's going to be a lot of competition. That's OK. It brings out the best in you. When you know you're going to make the team no matter what, you can take things for granted," Torres said. "At the end, they're going to pick whoever did the best. I'm looking forward to it."
If Tommy Maddox can be the comeback player of the year in football, Torres doesn't see why the baseball version shouldn't wind up in Pittsburgh.
"Do we have a comeback player of the year award?" Torres asked. "That would be nice."
NOTES -- The Pirates broke camp after a brief workout yesterday morning. On Saturday night, Gary Redus beat out Mike Lincoln for high game in the end-of-camp bowling tournament, but Lloyd McClendon's team finished first in spirited competition.