Jason Grilli

[DBAHO]

From the Sun-Times,

 

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The anonymity that Jason Grilli thrives on is close to becoming a distant memory as he narrows in on a White Sox roster spot.

 

''I'm a firm believer in being under the radar screen,'' Grilli said. ''I like being the underdog, and everybody likes rooting for the underdog. Give everybody else the attention. Guys who get the attention, it's nice every once in a while, but if we don't get it, we'll get it in the end.''

 

Grilli could come a long way toward reaching that end today when he makes his third start of the spring. The 27-year-old right-hander will face the Colorado Rockies at Tucson Electric Park.

 

In a sign Grilli has an excellent chance to make the roster, manager Ozzie Guillen isn't putting too much stock into his outing today.

 

''He just has to be Grilli,'' Guillen said. ''He can't change anything about him. He just has to go out there and perform how he has in the past and, hopefully, he doesn't put pressure on himself and does what he's supposed to do.''

 

In two previous starts this spring, Grilli has allowed seven hits and three runs in seven innings.

 

''He throws strikes with command and isn't afraid to throw the ball,'' Guillen said.

 

Grilli figures there is no more time to be afraid. The fourth overall selection by the San Francisco Giants in the 1998 draft had elbow surgery to remove a bone spur in 2000 and had Tommy John surgery in 2002. The two surgeries came after he had been traded to the Florida Marlins.

 

The Sox picked up Grilli in the offseason when the Marlins -- Guillen's former team -- left the six-year minor-leaguer off their 40-man roster. Grilli has just seven major-league appearances (six starts), all with the Marlins.

 

''I felt that Ozzie might have had some inside information coming from the Marlins and knowing what I'm capable of doing,'' Grilli said. ''That might have been a factor of me coming over here.''

 

But it's one thing to be known and another to perform. Though Grilli has heard the talk he is close to landing a roster spot, he refuses to think his journey is complete.

 

''The only thing I think is, 'Hey, if I don't produce, I don't deserve to be here,''' Grilli said ''But thus far, I think I've shown I belong, and I feel I belong. Where I fit on the staff, that's for the manager and front office to decide. I know I belong here. I want to be here.''

 

He admitted that while it was nice to see the Marlins win the World Series, there also was some emotional pain involved. After returning from the Tommy John surgery, Grilli went 6-2 with a 3.38 ERA in the high altitude of Class AAA Albuquerque, but never got a call to join the major-league team.

 

''I was craving action last year, especially watching the Marlins jump all over each other knowing I put myself in a good spot,'' he said. ''I would have liked to have been there, but that's all you can do.''

 

''They didn't feel I could help them out then and there, and that's fine. It motivated me even more during this offseason knowing the situation I'm coming into that nothing has been handed to me.''

 

It hasn't been handed to him yet, anyway. But if and when it is, he plans on bringing his underdog mentality along.

 

''We have huge marquee players on this team, and I understand that I haven't experienced it yet, but the Cubs get most of the notoriety in Chicago,'' Grilli said. ''I would rather have it that way, and we can sneak up on these guys. Then we'll see how many people jump on the bandwagon at the end.''

[southsider2k5]

Has anyone seen this guy pitch yet? I'd be curious to get a Soxtalk scouting report.

[Chisoxfn]

He didn't pitch when I was there, but he's supposed to have good stuff.

[witesoxfan]

He has good enough stuff to have been a first round pick by the Giants(I am probably mistaken, but wasn't it like the 4th overall that year? For some reason I am thinking that, not sure why), and was good enough to be part of the trade that brought Rob Nen and Livan Hernandez(a year or two after his World Series dominance) over to San Fran.

 

He's got good stuff, that's all I know, and quite frankly, that's all I care.

 

However, he is injury prone, which is why he become a member of the White Sox for practically nothing.

[SoxAce]

Good And Bad For Grilli

[WillieHarris2]

''We have huge marquee players on this team, and I understand that I haven't experienced it yet, but the Cubs get most of the notoriety in Chicago,'' Grilli said. ''I would rather have it that way, and we can sneak up on these guys. Then we'll see how many people jump on the bandwagon at the end.''

thats good stuff. i hope we do sneak up on those scrubbie bastards because they are underestimating us way to much. we have a lot of talent we just need to go out and produce and if we do those cubbie bastards will realize that they didnt know what they were talking about as usual.

[YASNY]

Some good quotes and a great attitude by Razor Shines, the new mananger in Birmingham.

 

Championship ring: Players from the Winston-Salem Warthogs were presented rings in honor of their 2003 Carolina League Single-A championship on the back fields of Tucson Electric Park. Razor Shines, who managed that team, will move on to manage Double-A Birmingham in 2004.

 

It was the 11th minor league title in which Shines was involved.

 

"People ask me all the time, 'What is your favorite ring?'" Shines said. "I always tell them that it's my next one.

 

"Hopefully one day, I can help a Major League team win a World Series ring. Right now, we are trying to develop kids to win championships in Chicago, but we want to win others along the way. When you are winning in the minors and developing kids in that way, it translates to winning at the Major League level

[SoxAce]

"People ask me all the time, 'What is your favorite ring?'" Shines said. "I always tell them that it's my next one.

 

Now that's a type of manager I'd want on my team as well.