Former staff ace optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pirates announced two cuts from big league camp early on Wednesday morning, and one comes as a bit of a surprise.Left-handed starter Tom Gorzelanny and outfielder Jose Tabata were optioned on Tuesday, whittling down the total number of players in big league camp to 43. For Tabata, one of the key prospects to come over from the Yankees in the Xavier Nady deal last July, it was inevitable. For Gorzelanny, who first established himself in the Pirates’ rotation in 2006, it must have come as a shock.

The 2003 second-round pick declined to comment after receiving the news he had been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Gorzelanny had been competing for a rotation spot this spring, but had not pitched well. In four starts, he allowed seven earned runs on eight hits and five walks while striking out four.

Gorzelanny established himself in 2006, when he had a 3.79 ERA over 11 starts. In his first full season, the southpaw won 14 games to lead the Pirates, and his 3.88 ERA was 15th in the National League. He made 32 starts in 2007 and topped the 200-inning mark.

He took a step backward in 2008, going 6-9 with a 6.66 ERA over 21 starts and 105 1/3 innings. He was sent to Triple-A in July to work things out, came back in late August, pitched ineffectively, then got shut down in September with a finger injury. Command has been an issue, with 68 walks in 201 2/3 innings in 2007, and 70 free passes in just 105 1/3 last season.

With Gorzelanny gone, that creates a touch more clarity in the competition for rotation spots. Paul Maholm is a lock, with Zach Duke and Ian Snell, who just finished a successful stint in the World Baseball Classic for Puerto Rico, more or less sure things. That leaves the final two spots in the rotation. Ross Ohlendorf has pitched very well this spring and could be the No. 4 starter, with Jeff Karstens and Virgil Vasquez perhaps the two most likely candidates for the fifth spot in the rotation. Vasquez didn’t help his cause with a poor outing against the Yankees on Tuesday night in Tampa.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

jpligon’s take:

Whoa. I sure hope that there are some GM’s looking to trade for Gorzelanny.  I certainly don’t think he’s as bad as he pitched in spring training. Might be an atmosphere thing with playing for Pittsburgh who has zero chance at post season. Put him on a winning team and watch this kid go.

I wonder if Hendry has his thinking cap on for this…..

Short of discovering a gold mine buried under Miller Park, there was no way the team could replace CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets.

Yet replacing those co-aces is precisely the challenge currently facing the Brewers, who won the National League Wild Card last season thanks largely to Sabathia and Sheets. Both pitchers have departed, Sabathia to a mega-deal with the New York Yankees and Sheets to surgery and free agency.

In their place? The Brewers signed former Cardinal Braden Looper last week to provide some depth, but it’s up to a pair of kids to do the heavy lifting. If the Brewers are to repeat as postseason participants, Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra will have to lead the way.

“We all know we lost two great pitchers,” said Gallardo, who at 23 could emerge as Milwaukee’s new ace.

“CC and Sheets were huge to what this team did last year.”

“We’re going to have to prove that we can pitch,” said Parra, 26 and the Brewers’ only left-handed starter.

“That’s not just Yovani and I, but the rest of the staff. We’re all going to have to step it up to prove we can be as good as we were last year. That’s going to the only question for this team, really.”

It’s a significant question. Sabathia and Sheets have combined for 203 career wins, 475 starts and seven All-Star Games; Gallardo and Parra have 19 wins, 52 starts and have watched All-Star Games on television.

From July through the end of the 2008 regular season, Sabathia and Sheets combined to go 15-9. Parra was 2-7 and Gallardo took a no-decision in his only start.

Yet Brewers officials see good things ahead for both of their young guns. Gallardo is an exceptional talent who was slowed in 2008 by surgeries on both knees. He missed the start of the season after tearing cartilage in his left knee, then was sidelined again in early May with a torn ACL.

Parra’s path to the big leagues was slowed by shoulder injuries, but he has been healthy since 2006 and spent his first full season in the big leagues in 2008. He went 8-2 before the All-Star break but faded in the second half and was bumped from Milwaukee’s starting rotation in September.

“I didn’t even think about it at the time on a personal level because of the pennant race we were in,” Parra said. “In the end, I was happy with my season up until September, when it got away from me a little bit.

“I sat down at the end of the season and thought about it a little bit. Did my legs feel tired? Was my arm OK? I feel like I was healthy and strong, but obviously I wasn’t, judging from the way I was throwing at the end.”

Today, Parra understands the decision to remove him from the rotation. He got a boost in the postseason, making two scoreless relief appearances.

Gallardo was also boosted by Milwaukee’s National League Division Series showdown against the Phillies, even though he was the pitcher of record in the Brewers’ Game 1 loss after being tagged with three unearned runs.

The Brewers’ showed their faith in Gallardo with that assignment. He had made exactly one regular season start since undergoing surgery to repair his ACL, lasting four innings against the Pirates, yet he was handed the ball for Milwaukee’s first postseason game in 26 years. It allowed him to walk away from a trying season with a smile on his face.

“It was very tough year,” Gallardo said. “I went from not having any surgeries ever to having two last year, and it was very tough. But that’s baseball and things are going to happen. You just have to get through them.”

About seven weeks separate the Brewers from their April 7 opener in San Francisco, but today Gallardo appears a favorite to draw that assignment. He’s trying not to think about it.

“Every starter would like to be [the Opening Day pitcher] at some point,” Gallardo said. “I try not to think about it at this point because there are things you have to do now in spring to prepare yourself.”

He’s similarly stoic about “replacing” Sabathia and Sheets.

“The time was going to have to come eventually, where you have to step up,” Gallardo said. “That time comes for every player. We all have to keep playing hard with or without [Sabathia and Sheets] and that doesn’t bother me. Whether I am or am not one of the top guys in the rotation, it doesn’t change what I have to do.”

The rest of the rotation is set to include three more veteran right-handers: Looper, Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan. Manager Ken Macha does not plan to line up his rotation until the Brewers’ off day on March 24. Whatever his spot in that starting rotation, Parra is focused on the positives.

“This gives us an opportunity to step in and play a bigger role,” Parra said. “I’m ready for it. I’m looking forward to it. Why would anyone be anything but happy about a chance like that?

“I’ve always wanted to be in this position, and I think I’m ready for it.”