azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 26, 2005 12:00 AM
TUCSON - Michael Gosling has been leaning on former major league pitcher Gregg Olson to sharpen his curveball and help him in his bid to win the No. 5 starter's job.
Gosling, a left-hander, is one of a handful of pitchers trying to secure the final starting spot in the rotation behind Javier Vazquez, Russ Ortiz, Brandon Webb and Shawn Estes.
"Gregg (a right-hander) has a real nasty curveball, and he's been great to work with," said Gosling, who made four productive starts for Arizona late last season after going 9-5 at Triple-A Tucson. "He's been helping me with my grip and my release point, and I've been working with him trying to get the ball more on my fingertips to give it a little bit more spin, which will lead to a harder break."
It has been a gradual process, Gosling said, but for every eight or nine good results with the pitch, two or three deliveries just aren't responding.
In time, he expects to find a comfort level that gives him 100 percent confidence in the delivery.
Gosling said he it took him a couple of years before he felt consistent throwing a retooled change-up, but he believes he is close to mastering his new-look curve.
"It depends on the teacher, the person and the pitch," Gosling said. "Sometimes, one will just click and all of a sudden, you have it. But you just never know."
Gosling, who led the Double-A Texas League in 2002 with 14 wins, said he expects a fair fight for the No. 5 spot.
"I'm happy to be in the mix for it, and it looks like they're going to decide it the way it should be decided, which is on the field," he said. "Hopefully, I'll pitch well enough to be in consideration, and I'm sure they'll take into account all the other intangibles, like doing the little things right, working hard in the weight room and conditioning.
"I know there's going to be some competition for it, but it really is going to come down to how we each throw on the field."
Ready for No. 1
Mike Rizzo, Diamondbacks director of scouting, recently returned from a college scouting trip and said he looks forward to making the No. 1 overall selection in the June amateur draft.
"It's obviously a higher-profile pick than we've ever had, but there's nobody eliminated from the field we get to choose from," Rizzo said. "We're going to scout the same way, but we're excited about it because not only do we have the first pick, we have a lot of early picks that make us feel pretty good about things."
Rizzo said the club has a short list of prospective No. 1 picks, but neither he nor other team officials were prepared to say which way the club is leaning.
Jimenez arrives
Pitcher Jose Jimenez cleared up legal issues regarding travel in his native Dominican Republic and reported Friday to camp.
He is ready to make his first workout appearance today, his agent said.
"If he's healthy, he should win a job there," Adam Katz said. "And he says he's feeling just fine."
Manager Bob Melvin is ready to see what Jimenez has to offer.
"Each (pitching) group has only thrown one live batting practice, so he's not really that far behind," he said.
Short hops
The Diamondbacks announced that seven players agreed to terms: pitchers Brian Bruney, Billy Murphy and Adam Peterson, and outfielders Luis Terrero, Josh Kroeger, Marland Williams and Reggie Abercrombie.
• Melvin said two pitchers particularly caught his eye Friday, left-hander Brad Halsey and right-hander Tony Peña, both of whom are in the running for the No. 5 starter's job.
• Left fielder Luis Gonzalez was back in camp after being excused from Thursday's workouts.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/special3/articles/0226Dbacksnb0226.html
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 26, 2005 12:00 AM
TUCSON - Michael Gosling has been leaning on former major league pitcher Gregg Olson to sharpen his curveball and help him in his bid to win the No. 5 starter's job.
Gosling, a left-hander, is one of a handful of pitchers trying to secure the final starting spot in the rotation behind Javier Vazquez, Russ Ortiz, Brandon Webb and Shawn Estes.
"Gregg (a right-hander) has a real nasty curveball, and he's been great to work with," said Gosling, who made four productive starts for Arizona late last season after going 9-5 at Triple-A Tucson. "He's been helping me with my grip and my release point, and I've been working with him trying to get the ball more on my fingertips to give it a little bit more spin, which will lead to a harder break."
It has been a gradual process, Gosling said, but for every eight or nine good results with the pitch, two or three deliveries just aren't responding.
In time, he expects to find a comfort level that gives him 100 percent confidence in the delivery.
Gosling said he it took him a couple of years before he felt consistent throwing a retooled change-up, but he believes he is close to mastering his new-look curve.
"It depends on the teacher, the person and the pitch," Gosling said. "Sometimes, one will just click and all of a sudden, you have it. But you just never know."
Gosling, who led the Double-A Texas League in 2002 with 14 wins, said he expects a fair fight for the No. 5 spot.
"I'm happy to be in the mix for it, and it looks like they're going to decide it the way it should be decided, which is on the field," he said. "Hopefully, I'll pitch well enough to be in consideration, and I'm sure they'll take into account all the other intangibles, like doing the little things right, working hard in the weight room and conditioning.
"I know there's going to be some competition for it, but it really is going to come down to how we each throw on the field."
Ready for No. 1
Mike Rizzo, Diamondbacks director of scouting, recently returned from a college scouting trip and said he looks forward to making the No. 1 overall selection in the June amateur draft.
"It's obviously a higher-profile pick than we've ever had, but there's nobody eliminated from the field we get to choose from," Rizzo said. "We're going to scout the same way, but we're excited about it because not only do we have the first pick, we have a lot of early picks that make us feel pretty good about things."
Rizzo said the club has a short list of prospective No. 1 picks, but neither he nor other team officials were prepared to say which way the club is leaning.
Jimenez arrives
Pitcher Jose Jimenez cleared up legal issues regarding travel in his native Dominican Republic and reported Friday to camp.
He is ready to make his first workout appearance today, his agent said.
"If he's healthy, he should win a job there," Adam Katz said. "And he says he's feeling just fine."
Manager Bob Melvin is ready to see what Jimenez has to offer.
"Each (pitching) group has only thrown one live batting practice, so he's not really that far behind," he said.
Short hops
The Diamondbacks announced that seven players agreed to terms: pitchers Brian Bruney, Billy Murphy and Adam Peterson, and outfielders Luis Terrero, Josh Kroeger, Marland Williams and Reggie Abercrombie.
• Melvin said two pitchers particularly caught his eye Friday, left-hander Brad Halsey and right-hander Tony Peña, both of whom are in the running for the No. 5 starter's job.
• Left fielder Luis Gonzalez was back in camp after being excused from Thursday's workouts.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/special3/articles/0226Dbacksnb0226.html
