It appeared that Jason Conti had turned in his bat for a baster, his glove for an oven mitt.

The Seneca Valley graduate and veteran major league outfielder had settled in as a line cook at a restaurant chain known as Roy's in Phoenix, Ariz., only a few weeks ago.

"I've been a minor league free agent for the past three seasons and always signed on with some team early,"Conti said. "This year, I didn't get any offers.

"Spring training got started and I didn't have a team. I can't just sit around and not do anything, so I figured it was time to go to work."

While driving down the road in Phoenix, he noticed a new restaurant had opened up and he stopped in to inquire about employment. Days later, he had a job.

It wasn't baseball. It was his second choice.

"I've always thought about going to culinary school,"Conti. 31, said. "Roy's looked like a good place to start. They serve Hawaiian food and it's good food. I've eaten there a few times."

He'll probably eat there again — maybe as a baseball player.

After six weeks of cooking, Conti put his culinary career on hold when Brian Graham, the Pittsburgh Pirates' Director of Player Personnel, gave his agent a call.

Conti signed a minor league contract with the Pirates and is currently getting back into baseball shape at extended spring training in Bradenton, Fla.

He expects to be assigned to Class AAAIndianapolis or Class AAAltoona within two weeks. His only previous offer during the off-season was with an independent team in Lancaster, Pa.

"Either (AAA or AA)place is fine by me,"Conti said. "As long as I get a chance to play every day and prove I can play.

"This is a good, open-ended deal for me. I've got a chance to get up to the Pirates and if someone gets hurt someplace else and another (big league) team wants me, I can go play there."

Conti has not played in the major leagues since 2004, when he had 55 at-bats with the Texas Rangers. He hit .258 with 15 homers and 73 RBIin 117 games with Class AAAOklahoma last season.

Conti sports a career average of .238 with 100 hits in five big league seasons with Arizona, Tampa Bay, Milwaukee and Texas. He hit .257 with three homers and 21 RBIin 222 at bats with the Devil Rays in 2002.

"He's got major league service time and he's been a very productive player at the Triple-Alevel,"Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield said of Conti. "He's struggled to translate those numbers to the big leagues.

"We didn't sign Conti to fill out a minor league roster. We're not gonna sign a minor league free agent at this time of year if we didn't think there was a chance he could help us down the road."

Case in point: Mike Edwards, an infielder the Pirates signed as a minor league free agent just before spring training. Edwards was recently called up with the big club until he was sent back to Indianapolis Tuesday.

For Conti to join the Pirates, he would have to first be placed on the 40-man roster, meaning another player would have to be released or simply taken off the 40-man, thus exposing him to be claimed by another club.

"Jason has to prove to us that he can play and he'll be given that opportunity,"Littlefield said. "We'll be monitoring his progress with everybody else's."

Conti said he would not have signed with the Pirates if he believed there was no chance he could return to the big leagues.

"They know I want to get back up there,"he said. "A lot of guys make a pretty good living playing out the string in the minor leagues and that's fine, but that's not me.

"For me to accept a role like that, baseball becomes a job and that's when it's time for me to get out. I need that goal of the major leagues in front of me to keep playing (in the minors).

Conti is a University of Pittsburgh graduate and was the 32nd-round draft choice of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1996.

"Am I playing for my career?I've been playing for my career all my life,"he said. "I've always had to prove to people I can play this game.

"Idon't feel any differently physically now than when I was 25. I've maintained the same weight. I've stayed in condition."

Other than being able to live at home during the season, Conti has no special dream of playing for the Pirates.

"To be honest, I've never been a big Pirate fan," he said. "I'm past that stage. I respect every big league team and the city it plays in. I'd be pleased to go to work for any of them."

If not, he may return to Roy's in October, as that door remains open.

"I have a year and a half to go to get my degree, maybe I'll start culinary school, maybe I won't have to,"Conti said. "I've got plenty of time yet to do whatever I want to do."