Notes: Gaudin has shot at bullpen
By Paul C. Smith / MLB.com Buy tickets
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Flying low under the radar might just work out for
Chad Gaudin.
Gaudin, a 5-11, 165-pound right-hander, jumped all the way from Single-A Bakers
field to the Majors last season and was impressive all the way. At 20, he was
the youngest pitcher in the big leagues in 2003.
His age and his ability, however, present the Rays with a pleasant problem:
Where does he pitch this season, and in what role?
Most teams would send him to Triple-A to start the season and let him work his
way back to the Majors. He has options, so the Rays might be tempted to do that
, while keeping a veteran on the Major League staff.
But there are those in the team's front office who think Gaudin might be the
best pitcher on the staff right now or very close to it. The six catchers in
camp all have been impressed with the location and movement of his pitches.
One thing for sure is the Louisiana native won't begin the season as a starter.
"(Gaudin) came to camp in pretty good shape to get strong here early," Lou
Piniella said on Thursday. "He's certainly ahead of the hitters. We're going to
use him in the bullpen. That's where he'll compete for a job. I like to put
them in the bullpen to let them get some experience and then move them into the
rotation."
Piniella did just that with Joel Pineiro in Seattle and it has worked out well.
Gaudin said he doesn't care, he just wants to try to make the club.
"I'm here to lay low and try to pitch as well as I can," Gaudin said. "The rest
will take care of itself. No matter what happens, I will be ready."
Quotable: "Paul Abbott threw the ball well today. The encouraging thing about
Paul is that he feels good after he throws. His main problems have been health
issues. He's throwing the ball free and easy, so the ball is coming out of his
hand well. Paul can pitch and he competes as well as anyone we have here." --
Piniella, who would like to see the veteran right-hander pitch well enough to
force his way into the rotation.
Quick hits: The Rays will return to Belmont Heights Little League in Tampa on
Friday evening and join in the celebration of the fields and concession stand
they helped refurbish. Vince Naimoli and Carl Crawford, as well as Tampa mayor
Pam Iorio, will be a part of the opening ceremonies at 6 p.m. ... Lance Carter
will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Saturday morning at 8:30 at
Fossil Park Little League in St. Petersburg. ... The Rays have two more days of
pitchers throwing batting practice to the hitters. They have scheduled two
intrasquad games for next week. The first one, on Monday, will start at about
8:30 a.m. After that, many of the players will compete in the team's annual
charity golf tournament at the Renaissance Vinoy & Golf Club. On Tuesday, the
intrasquad game will start at approximately 9:30 a.m. Both games will be played
at the Raymond A. Naimoli Complex in St. Petersburg.
--
Paul C. Smith 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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