Rockies bide time with Tsao
They don't want to rush youngster into closer's role
By Thomas Harding / MLB.com 12/12/2004 1:42 AM ET
The Shawn Chacon episode has given GM Dan O'Dowd pause about making
Chin-hui Tsao the closer. (David Zalubowski/AP)
http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/col/news/col_news.jsp?ymd=20041212&content_id=921326&vkey=news_col&fext=.jsp
ANAHEIM -- The Colorado Rockies are reluctant to make young standout
Chin-hui Tsao their closer, a job the club has been unable to fill through
free agency or trade. But that has little to do with Tsao, whom they believe
has the ability to do the job.
"I think, ideally, we're reluctant only because of what happened last year,"
general manager Dan O'Dowd said on Saturday.
What happened last year colors what's happening during baseballs Winter
Meetings. The Rockies made budding standout starter Shawn Chacon their
closer. It didn't work. Colorado is forced on one hand to seek trades for
Chacon and, on the other, insist that the right-hander, who is arbitration
eligible and must be fit into a tight budget, can be successful if he returns
to the rotation.
But O'Dowd has said there's a difference between Tsao and Chacon.
Chacon had to think about it, while Tsao relishes closing games. Tsao, 23,
who became the first pitcher from Taiwan to pitch in the Majors in 2003,
saved one of two chances in a brief year-end trial after the Rockies
announced the Chacon experiment was over. After joining the team in
September, he posted a 3.86 ERA in 10 appearances and raised hopes by
striking out 11 in 9 1/3 innings.
Tsao rose to top-prospect status as a starter, and went 3-3 for Colorado in
2003 while starting eight of his nine appearances. The relief appearance was
his only professional bullpen outing. But shoulder injuries that hit at the
end of Spring Training forced Tsao to throw from the bullpen for Taiwan in
the Olympics, where he went 0-1 with a 1.93 ERA and had a blast with the
late-game situations.
"If that's the way it works out, that's the way it works out," O'Dowd said.
"He's a strike-thrower with above-average stuff. I know none of the players
on the team have any concern about Tsao in the back end of the bullpen.
Whether he can stay healthy and handle the adversity he's going to face, I
don't know."
O'Dowd may be finding out, although he is hoping more experienced options
fall his way between now and the start of the season.
If it is Tsao, the Rockies believe health won't be an issue.
O'Dowd said Tsao was strong at season's end and the postseason MRI didn't
raise any red flags.
Tsao returned to Taiwan, where he is working out the details of a
government-required military stint of about two weeks. He will return to
California after New Year's Day and complete his offseason workouts under the
watch of the staff of his agent, Scott Boras.
"We have a total-body conditioning program," Boras said, adding that Tsao
isn't in need of work to rehab or head off shoulder problems any more than
another pitcher.
The Rockies remain with a bullpen that has left-hander Brian Fuentes, 29, as
its eldest member, and most experienced at 2.125 years of Major League
service time, followed by fellow lefty Javier Lopez next at 27 and 1.163.
Right-handers Allan Simpson and Scott Dohmann saw time last year but will
still be considered rookies in 2005.
"As we said all along, we're still shopping for two bullpen guys," O'Dowd
said. "One may come in the Rule 5 draft and we may push the one back. If we
can find an arm that really fits going forward for us, we'll take him, try to
put him in the '05 bullpen, try to protect him, move along from there and try
to search between now and sometime during the year for the right back-end
guy.
"We're going to come across somebody, I know. I just don't know who it is or
when it's going to happen."
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the
approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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