TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 27 — For someone with the telltale high number of a minor-leaguer (83), pitcher Ross Ohlendorf drew a lucky locker location in the Yankees’ spring training clubhouse. He dresses near the corner just left of the main entrance, within handshake distance of the veteran Mike Mussina.
So whenever Mussina holds court on a pitching topic, Ohlendorf — one of the four players the Yankees acquired from Arizona in the Randy Johnson trade in January — need only turn slightly to his left to listen in. That was the pose Ohlendorf had Tuesday morning, even though Mussina was talking about fishing.
“I’m pretty confident in my ability, but I know I have a lot of work to do to be the pitcher I want to be,” said Ohlendorf, a 24-year-old right-hander in his first big-league camp. “Guys like Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina are willing to talk to us, and other pitchers are, too.”
Every player acquired for Johnson is in the Yankees’ camp, with the veteran reliever Luis Vizcaíno and infielder Alberto González on the major league roster, and Ohlendorf and his fellow right-hander Steven Jackson attending as nonroster invitees. Jackson, a tall sinkerballer like Ohlendorf, gave up one run in two innings in Tuesday afternoon’s intrasquad game.
Vizcaíno, a workhorse whose 359 appearances since 2002 rank second in major league baseball among right-handers, is expected to provide immediate bullpen help. But the two young pitchers, who are good friends and were minor league roommates the past two seasons, may prove the keys to the deal.
Multiplayer packages for one big-name star rarely turn out equitably. Johnson was considered a disappointment as a Yankee despite winning 34 games in two seasons, but Ohlendorf or Jackson will have to develop into a consistent major league starter for this deal to look good for the Yankees. Jackson already knows the perils of being traded for a likely Hall of Famer, even as only part of a package.
“Most of my friends thought I was going straight to the major leagues, until I explained it to them,” said Jackson, a 24-year-old who has never pitched higher than Class AA and whose spring locker is in a row where the lowest assigned number is 70.
The Yankees are not looking to rush Jackson or Ohlendorf. Both are likely to begin the season with Class AAA Scranton. For now, Ohlendorf appears to have more potential. He mainly played basketball until the summer after his junior year at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Tex., where he realized that Division I teams had little use for a 6-foot-4 post player. At the urging of the school’s new baseball coaches, including the former major league catcher Keith Moreland, Ohlendorf took up pitching.
The University of Texas and Baylor each showed interest in him, but Ohlendorf chose Princeton for its academics. He arrived with a heavy sinker and an eagerness to learn that impressed the Tigers’ coach, Scott Bradley, a former major league catcher. Bradley said that Ohlendorf’s sinker reminded him of Billy Swift’s; Bradley caught Swift in Seattle.
“As a catcher, you have to keep your thumb turned up or he’ll take the glove off your hand,” Bradley said in a telephone interview.
Ohlendorf and the 6-5 Jackson, a native of South Carolina who went to Clemson, benefited from rooming and playing together at Class A South Bend in 2005 and at Class AA Tennessee last season. The Diamondbacks chose both in the 2004 draft, Ohlendorf in the fourth round and Jackson in the 10th.
At South Bend, Ohlendorf and Jackson combined for 21 victories to help the Silver Hawks take the Midwest League title, with Jackson winning the championship game. Ohlendorf returned to Princeton after the season to complete his degree in operations research and financial engineering.
Last year at Tennessee, Ohlendorf went 10-8 with a 3.29 earned run average, led the Southern League with four complete games and earned a promotion to Class AAA Tucson for one playoff start. Jackson’s 2.65 E.R.A. ranked second in the league, but poor run support left his record at 8-11.
Jackson usually followed Ohlendorf in the rotation and charted his games. After each of their starts, they would stay up late dissecting their performances and exchanging ideas. They were excited to learn they were part of the same trade and would start the spring surrounded by some of baseball’s biggest names. “The first few days, it was kind of surreal to be in this locker room with these guys,” Jackson said. “Now I’m settled in and going about my business.”
On Tuesday, Jackson pitched for the major league side against a minor league lineup. He drew five groundball outs out of six with his sinker and allowed one hit, a run-scoring double by Juan Miranda after his only walk.
“I just like his arm,” Manager Joe Torre said of Jackson. “He’s really loose, and it looks like the ball comes out of his hand fairly easily.”
Ohlendorf is scheduled to get a chance Thursday against Minnesota in the exhibition opener. Before then, Ohlendorf has plenty more listening to do, and Mussina is happy to oblige.
“I’ve talked to him four or five times already, and not just because he’s sitting right here,” Mussina said. “I think he’s got good stuff, and if he makes some minor adjustments, he can be even better.”
INSIDE PITCH
The left-hander KEI IGAWA started and pitched two scoreless innings in the Yankees’ intrasquad game Tuesday. Igawa retired five straight batters after BRETT GARDNER’s leadoff bunt single. ... BOBBY ABREU, who strained his right oblique muscle in batting practice Monday, said he would be healthy by opening day. “You have to be careful, and that’s what I’m going to do,” said Abreu, who added that he would not swing a bat for two weeks. ... CARL PAVANO (sore left foot) played catch Tuesday and is scheduled for a bullpen session Thursday, Manager JOE TORRE said.
BTW - Cashman = genius? Johnson is going to start the season on the DL!
