bullpen spot secured, will Denny Bautista measure up?

TIGERS CORNER
With spot in the bullpen secured, will Denny Bautista measure up?

BY JON PAUL MOROSI • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • March 20, 2008

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The words are in the archives, cautionary and tantalizing at the same time.

What the Tigers are seeing in reliever Denny Bautista -- the tall, lean body; the deceptive delivery; the overwhelming fastball -- has been displayed intermittently throughout his career.

In 2000, the year Bautista began his professional career, the manager of his Gulf Coast League team told the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, "He looks just like Pedro (Martinez) on the mound. He does everything the same. He's like a clone of him -- except Denny's 6-feet-5." Martinez is 5-11.

In 2005, during a spring training in which Bautista earned a spot in Kansas City's rotation, then-Royals pitching coach Guy Hansen told the Kansas City Star, "He's the most intimidating pitcher I've seen in my 30 years of baseball."

Now Tigers officials are hoping that Bautista, at 27, is about to justify those yellowing press clippings in a way that his major league track record (4-10, 6.93 ERA, 35 games) does not.

At the least, Bautista has been opportunistic and good this spring. While there is no telling when Fernando Rodney (shoulder), Joel Zumaya (shoulder) or Francisco Cruceta (visa issues) will next throw a competitive pitch, Bautista has effectively forced his way onto the Opening Day roster with 10 1/3 scoreless innings.

It's worth noting that he has been successful during spring training before -- most notably a 2-0 record and 2.84 ERA with the Royals in 2005.

Bautista, though, said he is pitching better now than he was then. His transformation from starter to reliever is complete after spending last season in the bullpen at Colorado and Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Thanks to an adjustment he made with help from pitching coach Chuck Hernandez, he is throwing every pitch out of the stretch for the first time.

"I feel very good," Bautista said. "I feel comfortable."

Bautista has been sharp since the start of camp, undoubtedly the result of a productive off-season. Bautista was a September call-up with the Rockies -- the last game he witnessed there was the wild-card playoff game against San Diego -- but didn't make the postseason roster. So he pitched in the Dominican Winter League and worked out frequently with the inimitable Martinez.

The two are related -- their mothers are first cousins --and they live near each other in the Dominican Republic. During the winter, they took time away from their training schedules to go fishing. "He's good," Bautista said. "I caught like three. He had 10."

They talk once or twice each week during the season, often enough that Martinez called Bautista on Sunday, wondering where he was. (The Tigers played Martinez's New York Mets that day in Port St. Lucie; Bautista didn't make the trip.)

Martinez is the family's most accomplished pitcher, but Bautista has a far bigger body frame. Bautista is six inches taller -- hence Martinez's nickname for him.

"He'll say, 'This is my big son,' " Bautista said.

Martinez's lightheartedness is legendary. ("This guy, he's funny all the time," Bautista said.) Bautista was the unfortunate victim of at least one of Martinez's practical jokes.

Years ago, the two were spending a day at the beach with friends when Bautista's cell phone rang. He wasn't around, so Martinez answered. It was Bautista's ex-girlfriend.

They spoke for a few minutes and, unbeknownst to Bautista, Martinez invited her to join them.

There was only one problem: Bautista's new girlfriend was there, too.

So what happened once his former girlfriend arrived?

"She started crying," Bautista said, "and I left."

Bautista was mad at Martinez then, he admits, but he laughs about the story now.

And if Bautista keeps pitching as well as he has, the Tigers may be smiling similarly in October as they talk about how the bullpen wasn't such a big worry after all.

Give him a smilie! :bautista:

bobrob2004 wrote:

Give him a smilie! :bautista:

I sent catbox all the new player smilies, he just needs to add them.

cmon Catbox!

C'mon catbox!!!!!

He did add several

We have new pics for :rogers:

And adds for :ryan: :thames: :jjones: :bautista: :bazardo: :byrdak: :rodney: :timo: :wilson:

Too bad won't last long...

bobrob2004 wrote:

Too bad won't last long...

Waitin' for the shoe to drop on that one!

IMPORTANT NOTE: JON PAUL MOROSI states in this article that Denny Bautista has secured a spot in the bullpen, according to Leland, this is incorrect:

Quote :

"We're trying to weigh everything and make good choices," he said.
"Somebody's got Denny Bautista on the team already. I don't remember
anybody saying Bautista is on the team. I guess you guys have it
figured out. I don't have it figured out.

This is from Friday, March 21, 2008 article by Tom Gage:

Tigers show they're 'seriously' ready

'Seriously ready' for what.....LOSING? I am getting really scared!