Obri
02-17-2003, 07:53 AM
Jensen in line to be fifth starter
Righetti says 13 wins in '02 makes righty the favorite
By Chris Shuttlesworth / MLB.com
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The hottest battle entering Giants camp this spring was supposedly the fifth spot in the starting rotation, with the prime candidates expected to be incumbent Ryan Jensen, Kurt Ainsworth, Jesse Foppert and Jerome Williams.
Apparently, no one bothered to ask pitching coach Dave Righetti if there would be a wide-open competition, because Sunday he said the job is Jensen's to lose.
"Until somebody beats out Ryan Jensen -- that's the way I feel about it," said Righetti. "This guy won 13 ballgames last year, so ... somewhere along the line he has to be mentioned first, for what he accomplished last year. You want to give him respect for that."
Of course, Righetti doesn't want complacency from his pitchers, expecting them to show their best during Spring Training. And although Jensen's coach believes he deserves primary consideration for the No. 5 slot, the 27-year-old isn't taking anything for granted.
"I wouldn't say I have the advantage," said Jensen, who finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting last season. "From what I did last year, they know that I can hold my own in the big leagues. At the same time, I still have to go out in Spring Training and do what I am capable of doing. I would hope that I could seal the fifth spot."
If Jensen accomplishes that goal, the biggest loser would likely be Ainsworth, who started the 2002 season in the rotation because of Jason Schmidt's groin injury but ended up spending most of the season at Triple-A Fresno once Schmidt was healthy.
"I hate to see him in the minors," said Righetti with a grimace. "It's Kurt's time. He's earned it. ... Last year, I'm sure he would have been on the team a lot more, but nobody ever missed a start, to be honest, and nobody got hurt in the bullpen [in] a right-handed situation."
Ainsworth, a new father to 6-month-old Kaylyn Nicole, could still make the team as a reliever, a role he had in a September callup. Righetti said he was impressed by the way Ainsworth handled the change, but he feels the 24-year-old's future is as a starter.
"Anything to be in the big leagues would be good, because you want to sit there and learn the game more at the big league level," said Ainsworth. "If you have to break in as a reliever, it's happened to a lot of guys. And if I even have to stay a reliever, that would be fine."
Ainsworth is even open to the idea of moving to another team if that opens up a job for him.
"If you're pitching well, hopefully they'll find a spot for you," he said. "And if not, somebody else might try to get you in and put you with their team. There's 29 other teams out there, so you just gotta keep pitching well and stay healthy."
Jensen and Ainsworth, who faced the same battle for the fifth spot last spring before Schmidt's injury gave them both an opportunity, are friends and former minor league teammates. But Jensen said knowing one of them might get a shot at the expense of the other doesn't affect their friendship.
"We just kind of leave that here at the field," said Ainsworth. "Off the field, it doesn't change anything. We still hang out together, play golf together and all that, but once you're here, this is your job, and each one of us wants that spot."
As for the other two would-be starting candidates, Foppert and Williams are both still adjusting to their first trips to big league camp.
"I never thought that I would be here at the tender age of 21," said Williams. "Coming around with these guys, it's exciting. Seeing these guys like Benito [Santiago] -- when I was young, I used to watch them on TV and now I'm like in the same locker room."
Williams got to pitch at Pacific Bell Park last season when the Triple-A Grizzlies played a series there while their new stadium was being finished. After the game, he said he didn't want to leave.
Foppert, 22, got his taste of the big leagues last spring, called over from minor league camp for a few split-squad Cactus League games.
"It's good to be around all these guys that have all the experience, just learning from them," he said. "I hoped [to be invited to camp this year]. You can't really count on that, but I had to see how the season went and hope for that. That was my goal."
While Williams admitted starting the year back in Triple-A would be disappointing, "on the other hand, it would be good for me because I need to mature more."
Although Jensen has more assurances than the others vying for a rotation slot, he's been the underdog for most of his career -- which is just fine with him.
"I think throughout my career that I'm always going to be pushed," he said. "I'm not the big-name player or whatever. I think it's good for me, too. Being pushed, I can't let my guard down."
Chris Shuttlesworth is an editorial producer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Righetti says 13 wins in '02 makes righty the favorite
By Chris Shuttlesworth / MLB.com
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The hottest battle entering Giants camp this spring was supposedly the fifth spot in the starting rotation, with the prime candidates expected to be incumbent Ryan Jensen, Kurt Ainsworth, Jesse Foppert and Jerome Williams.
Apparently, no one bothered to ask pitching coach Dave Righetti if there would be a wide-open competition, because Sunday he said the job is Jensen's to lose.
"Until somebody beats out Ryan Jensen -- that's the way I feel about it," said Righetti. "This guy won 13 ballgames last year, so ... somewhere along the line he has to be mentioned first, for what he accomplished last year. You want to give him respect for that."
Of course, Righetti doesn't want complacency from his pitchers, expecting them to show their best during Spring Training. And although Jensen's coach believes he deserves primary consideration for the No. 5 slot, the 27-year-old isn't taking anything for granted.
"I wouldn't say I have the advantage," said Jensen, who finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting last season. "From what I did last year, they know that I can hold my own in the big leagues. At the same time, I still have to go out in Spring Training and do what I am capable of doing. I would hope that I could seal the fifth spot."
If Jensen accomplishes that goal, the biggest loser would likely be Ainsworth, who started the 2002 season in the rotation because of Jason Schmidt's groin injury but ended up spending most of the season at Triple-A Fresno once Schmidt was healthy.
"I hate to see him in the minors," said Righetti with a grimace. "It's Kurt's time. He's earned it. ... Last year, I'm sure he would have been on the team a lot more, but nobody ever missed a start, to be honest, and nobody got hurt in the bullpen [in] a right-handed situation."
Ainsworth, a new father to 6-month-old Kaylyn Nicole, could still make the team as a reliever, a role he had in a September callup. Righetti said he was impressed by the way Ainsworth handled the change, but he feels the 24-year-old's future is as a starter.
"Anything to be in the big leagues would be good, because you want to sit there and learn the game more at the big league level," said Ainsworth. "If you have to break in as a reliever, it's happened to a lot of guys. And if I even have to stay a reliever, that would be fine."
Ainsworth is even open to the idea of moving to another team if that opens up a job for him.
"If you're pitching well, hopefully they'll find a spot for you," he said. "And if not, somebody else might try to get you in and put you with their team. There's 29 other teams out there, so you just gotta keep pitching well and stay healthy."
Jensen and Ainsworth, who faced the same battle for the fifth spot last spring before Schmidt's injury gave them both an opportunity, are friends and former minor league teammates. But Jensen said knowing one of them might get a shot at the expense of the other doesn't affect their friendship.
"We just kind of leave that here at the field," said Ainsworth. "Off the field, it doesn't change anything. We still hang out together, play golf together and all that, but once you're here, this is your job, and each one of us wants that spot."
As for the other two would-be starting candidates, Foppert and Williams are both still adjusting to their first trips to big league camp.
"I never thought that I would be here at the tender age of 21," said Williams. "Coming around with these guys, it's exciting. Seeing these guys like Benito [Santiago] -- when I was young, I used to watch them on TV and now I'm like in the same locker room."
Williams got to pitch at Pacific Bell Park last season when the Triple-A Grizzlies played a series there while their new stadium was being finished. After the game, he said he didn't want to leave.
Foppert, 22, got his taste of the big leagues last spring, called over from minor league camp for a few split-squad Cactus League games.
"It's good to be around all these guys that have all the experience, just learning from them," he said. "I hoped [to be invited to camp this year]. You can't really count on that, but I had to see how the season went and hope for that. That was my goal."
While Williams admitted starting the year back in Triple-A would be disappointing, "on the other hand, it would be good for me because I need to mature more."
Although Jensen has more assurances than the others vying for a rotation slot, he's been the underdog for most of his career -- which is just fine with him.
"I think throughout my career that I'm always going to be pushed," he said. "I'm not the big-name player or whatever. I think it's good for me, too. Being pushed, I can't let my guard down."
Chris Shuttlesworth is an editorial producer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.