Rick Porcello News

Will Rick Porcello pitch in the majors this year?

Jon Paul Morosi tackles the big question:

Probably not.

As impressive as he has been thus far in spring training, it's important to remember that Porcello, 19, is three years younger than Justin Verlander, right, was at the start of his first full professional season. Verlander had three years of collegiate experience at Old Dominion University before he was drafted.

Also, keep in mind that Verlander finished that 2005 season on the disabled list, in large part because his arm wasn't used to the rigors of pro baseball. Verlander pitched 130 innings that year -- including two big-league spot starts -- but threw his final pitch on Aug. 2, when he left a start after three innings because of tightness in his shoulder.

Still, Tigers assistant general manager Al Avila acknowledged that everything about Porcello -- his composure, his maturity, his command, and the quality of his pitches -- points to a pitcher who is close to the major leagues.

"However," Avila added, "you have to keep in mind his age. He comes from high school. He has to build up his innings and gain some experience at a higher level of competition.

"Even though there's a big part of him that tells you, 'Yeah, he's close, he should come quickly,' at the same time, you've got to take it slow. He's only a high school pitcher. He's got to build up innings and experience and go through that adjustment.

"You've got to take it one step at a time."

For now, though, Porcello's high school teammates can note the remarkable connections involving their friend.

“It really is amazing,” said Nick Natale, a Rice University outfielder who graduated from Seton Hall with Porcello. “Eight months ago, I was on his team. Now, he’s on Justin Verlander’s team.”

JON PAUL MOROSI

TIGERS SPRING TRAINING
No. 1 prospect Rick Porcello: 'The full package'

BY JON PAUL MOROSI • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • February 24, 2008

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The teenager from New Jersey has been arriving at Joker Marchant Stadium before 8 in the morning, reporting for work alongside men with All-Star track records and children of their own.

This is Rick Porcello's first spring training here, but most certainly not his last. The Tigers selected him in the first round of last year's amateur draft and paid him handsomely because they see his golden right arm as a prized piece in their future.

Teammates have acknowledged his considerable talent. Observers have projected when his arm might be ready for the majors. Fans have dreamt about the day he takes his place beside Justin Verlander in a rotation for the ages.

The possibilities are whizzing by, at a rate that would make many grownups flinch.

While college freshmen his age ponder the big questions in life -- Cancun or Key West? -- Porcello, 19, received a major-league contract worth at least $7 million last August, but it wasn't until his first big-league camp began that he could prove he truly belonged.

And he has done that.

"I think he's handled it better than I did," said Verlander, who was 22 at the time of his first spring training in 2005. "He's going about it great. He acts like he belongs, but, at the same time, he's showing respect to the older guys and just going about his work very quietly."

Porcello knows he's not competing for a spot on Detroit's Opening Day roster. As a result, he acknowledged, "There's not too much pressure on me." He will probably start the season at one of the Tigers' full-season Class A affiliates, West Michigan or Lakeland, but that hasn't been determined yet.

In the meantime, he's been throwing bullpen sessions every other day, just like Verlander, Dontrelle Willis, Todd Jones and all the Detroit pitchers. He has witnessed Kenny Rogers' renowned intensity during pitchers' fielding practice. He has learned a lot by watching and doing -- which is what you would expect of someone who graduated from his prep school with a 3.94 grade-point average.

"It's kind of nice for my first time," Porcello said, at his locker one day last week. "I can relax and learn how to do things without having to impress people."

In the process, of course, he has impressed them all.

"I'm not surprised," said Al Avila, the Tigers assistant general manager, when asked about Porcello's performance so far. "He's looked good on the mound. He's been very quiet in the clubhouse. He's been very professional in going about his business and just fitting in. ... He looks like he belongs in major-league camp. He's the full package that we expected."

Detroit manager Jim Leyland said Saturday: "When he steps on the mound, guys like him and Verlander -- they look a little bit different than the other guys."

Despite all the attention he's received this spring, Porcello said he may have experienced greater scrutiny at this time last year.

His team at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, N.J., was featured at length in Baseball America last spring. The Pirates received billing as the preseason No. 1 high school team in the country, and they were coming off back-to-back state titles. And then there was Porcello's personal pressure. He had committed to the University of North Carolina but knew that his draft stock -- and, with it, millions of dollars -- could be at stake each start.

The end result: 10-0, 1.18 ERA, and a victory in the state title game.

So, maybe the pressure didn't get to him.

"Put him on that mound," Seton Hall coach Mike Sheppard said, "and he seems very comfortable."

Ironically, Porcello's worst start last season produced one of Sheppard's favorite stories about him. Don Bosco Prep scalded him for seven runs one afternoon, and it appeared Seton Hall was headed for a lopsided defeat before more than 2,000 fans.

Porcello, also one of the team's top hitters, hit a ground ball to the left side during one of his at-bats. As he watched the shortstop move to backhand the ball, Porcello wondered if he might be able to beat out an infield single. So, he did what most in attendance would have considered unreasonable: He plunged forward with a headfirst slide into first base.

In effect, he was wagering multiple millions of dollars for the chance to get on base.

"That's classic Rick," Sheppard said. "He didn't think, 'The draft's in a week or two.' He's thinking, 'I've got to get on base.' "

Porcello was out, but Sheppard believes the effort sparked Seton Hall's comeback and eventual one-run victory.

There were other days, of course, when Porcello's impact was more evident from the box score. Take May 12, for instance. He threw a seven-inning perfect game that afternoon in a 2-0 victory over Newark Academy. The 21st out came on a comebacker that rolled just ... slowly ... enough ... for Porcello to think about it.

"I was just saying to myself, 'Don't throw this away,' " Porcello said, of a moment that can be found on an online video ( www.freep.com/tigers). "I really didn't know what the ending would feel like, but it was pretty special once it happened."

Porcello's pitching excellence was only half of his high school success. In fact, he had the game-winning hit in his perfect game. He had the tools to be a Division I shortstop -- "Without a doubt," Sheppard said -- but moved to first base as a senior, as a way to reduce the workload on his arm.

He became a good defender there, and his offense hardly suffered: .478, 11 home runs, 48 RBIs.

The Pirates finished 32-1, with a share of the national championship. All the while, Sheppard said, Porcello deflected the credit to his teammates, many of whom were Division I prospects in their own right. And when asked on Saturday about his high school success, Porcello attributed it to the efforts of his coaches and parents.

Because of that modesty, Seton Hall teammate Steven Brooks said, "We were all drawn to him."

"It's hard to believe how a kid could be that good, with such an amazing future in front of him, and still be that humble," Brooks said in a telephone interview last week. "He truly is. I'm not just saying that because I'm his friend. It's scary.

"If you (just) met him, you'd never guess that he was this amazing baseball player, because he never talked about baseball or bragged about his accomplishments."

Brooks, now a freshman outfielder at Wake Forest University, marveled at how strictly Porcello adhered to his routines.

"He did everything perfect," Brooks said. "He ate well. He slept well. He got the rest he needed. He treated his body well -- all that stuff."

This spring is the start of the payoff. Porcello will be there Wednesday when the Tigers open their Grapefruit League schedule against the New York Mets -- his favorite team before he became a Tiger.

Porcello smiled when it was mentioned to him that he could face David Wright or Carlos Beltran or Jose Reyes this spring. Regardless of whether he ultimately gets the chance, the possibility is evidence of how quickly Porcello's career has advanced to this stage. And there is every reason to believe he will meet those challenges the game will present.

"It's a new start," he said. "You have to prove yourself all over again, but that's something I'm looking forward to. It's exciting."

02/29/2008 8:21 PM ET
Notes: Porcello impresses early
Rookie shows no signs of nerves in first outing in Majors
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- If rookie pitcher Rick Porcello was a bundle of nerves in his first game appearance against Major League hitters Friday, he sure had his teammates fooled.

"I think he handled it better than I did," said Justin Verlander, who had been advising Porcello on what to expect three years after Verlander made his own spring debut before a pro start. "Just in his demeanor on the mound, he looked well beyond his years."

Brandon Inge was one of the Tigers who tried to calm down Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin in their big league debuts at Yankee Stadium the last two years. The only thing he had to worry about Friday was staying out of the way of Porcello's throw when he fielded David Eckstein's squibber to the third-base side of the mound.

"I'd put him right into the big leagues if there was a spot," Inge proclaimed with a smile. "If Al Kaline could do it, he could do it."

He was kidding ... mostly.

The Tigers clearly don't have the need to do it, and they obviously want him to develop. Nobody will get carried away with two Spring Training innings. Still, for a 19-year-old without a game at any Minor League level, those two innings were pretty impressive.

Not only did Porcello retire all six batters he faced, he didn't allow a ball out of the infield. The only ball in the air was a Vernon Wells popout ending the fifth inning, his first inning of work.

Porcello came back out for the sixth and struck out Frank Thomas, who chased a two-seamer out of the strike zone, before Russ Adams and Matt Watson grounded out.

"It went pretty fast," Porcello said. "Guys were coming out hacking. I was lucky enough to get some ground balls early. Didn't take guys too deep into counts."

The way he was throwing, it was difficult for hitters to work the count if they wanted. As catcher Max St. Pierre said, his fastballs had good movement on them, and even the curveball he threw over the plate to Wells induced a popout.

The strikeout of the Big Hurt was something to appreciate. Porcello was born on Dec. 27, 1988. Thomas made his big league debut just over 19 months later.

"It's only Spring Training, but it definitely helps your confidence a little bit," Porcello said. "At the same time, there's still a lot of work that you have to do to get to that point where you can do it on a consistent basis. I'm looking forward to working towards that, but it's going to be a long road."

No matter how impressive Friday looked, Porcello expects that road to be long.

"It's not always going to be that picture perfect," Porcello cautioned with a smile. "I'm getting ready for that day."

Robertson returns: Barely 36 hours after Nate Robertson's wife Kristin gave birth to their first child early Thursday morning, Robertson was back at work on the mound Friday afternoon. Trying to be frugal with sliders, he worked primarily with his fastball, changeup and a little perspective.

"It's hard to separate your personal life from your professional life," Robertson said. "I'm texting, five minutes before I go out on the field, to my wife just to see how Wyatt's doing and she's doing and, by the way, I've got to throw two innings. Everything's so much different.

"I'm kind of an intense guy and sometimes I think my intensity goes to a level that it doesn't need to. So maybe this takes a little edge off."

Baby boy Wyatt, who weighed in at six pounds, 14 ounces, and Kristin are out of the hospital and doing well.

Leyland upbeat on injured arms: Tigers manager Jim Leyland said on Friday that he's "pretty optimistic" about setup man Fernando Rodney's condition. Rodney said Friday morning that his arm was feeling good.

Further along on the relief front, Leyland said he was "very optimistic" about Joel Zumaya, who's playing catch every other day as he rehabs from shoulder surgery.

The initial timetable issued by doctors last fall suggested he'll miss at least half the season.

"I think things are going really well," Leyland said. "I don't want to put any pressure on Zumaya, because we won't bring him back again until we're absolutely confident he's right. But I think it's going to be sooner than people thought."

Up next: The American League Central isn't on the line just yet, but the pride of Polk County, Fla., will be when the Tigers begin a home-and-home series with the Cleveland Indians with a 1:05 p.m. ET contest on Saturday at Joker Marchant Stadium. Dontrelle Willis will make his first game appearance in a Tigers uniform when he makes the start opposite Cy Young award-winner C.C. Sabathia. Chris Lambert, Denny Bautista, Todd Jones and Tim Byrdak are also slated to pitch. The game will be broadcast on MLB Gameday Audio as well as on AM 1270 and 97.1 FM in Detroit.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.