Friendly competitors
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Tony Armas Jr. and Shawn Chacon have side-by-side lockers in the Pittsburgh Pirates' McKechnie Field clubhouse, and the pitchers are close for another reason this spring.
Each comes into camp vying for one vacancy in the starting rotation. Each carries a similar history of injury and lessened expectation. Each will be 29 by the season's first month. They even make similar money, with Armas earning $3.5 million and Chacon $3.85 million this season. That means whichever pitcher makes the five-man rotation will earn roughly nine times more than any of the other starters because the rest are so young.
The competition? That might be just as close.
"I know that we have some pretty intriguing arms battling to be No. 5," said Pittsburgh manager Jim Tracy, who includes long shots Shane Youman and Marty McLeary in the mix. "All I can say is that we're going to allow them to go out there and show us what they have."
The Pirates need to identify which pitcher will provide the most innings. Last season, Victor Santos was the fifth starter, pitching just 115Z\c innings in 19 starts. That put more pressure on the team's four young starters: Ian Snell, Zach Duke, Paul Maholm and Tom Gorzelanny.
As the season unfolded, what should have been a strong bullpen for the Pirates was beaten down before the All-Star break.
"I would say that what we're looking for there is consistency," general manager Dave Littlefield said.
Consistency has not been a hallmark for either pitcher, but Armas appears to enter spring with the edge, having made 30 starts for the Washington Nationals last season while Chacon started 20 games for New York Yankees and Pirates.
But Armas had a negligible edge in statistics. He has a 9-12 record with a 5.03 ERA, while Chacon went 7-6 with a 5.82 ERA.
"It seems like it's been years I've been battling injuries," Armas said. "But I've been making progress, and I'm looking forward to this year. I think it's going to be a good year for me and, hopefully, I can help the team."
Chacon had his delivery almost completely overhauled late last season by Pittsburgh pitching coach Jim Colborn, and the improvement was immediate. In his final three starts, all after the switch, his control improved, his breaking pitches had more bite, and his velocity increased — he was clocked at a surprising 97 mph Sept. 20 in Los Angeles.
"It had been a couple years, actually, since I threw as hard as I did that night in LA," Chacon said. "But that's why Colby's good. I can't attribute it to anything but the work he did with me on my mechanics."
