southsider2k5 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/wh...T-sox02.article So far, so good for Sox' Marquez Sinkerballer arrives in Nick of time for shot at starter's role Recommend (4) Comments March 2, 2009 BY JOE COWLEY [email protected] GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The ''Dirty 30'' luster wore off by August. By mid-September, it was obvious the White Sox had to move Nick Swisher. His pouting over a lack of playing time had rubbed the coaching staff -- and even more of a concern, his teammates -- the wrong way. ''When you have a bad season like that, a lot of people can be blamed if you want to be negative,'' manager Ozzie Guillen recalled Sunday. ''[swisher] did do some good things for us, playing out of position all season long. But when he started having trouble and was struggling, he couldn't get control of that. ''I don't blame him for not being happy he wasn't playing. You shouldn't be happy. We traded a lot to get him, and I'm not going to say it was a mistake, but we both had to move on. If he wasn't traded, he would be in the same position he was last year -- a fourth outfielder. ''But we weren't going to trade him just to trade him. We needed to get back the right players in that deal.'' The Sox hope right-hander Jeff Marquez meets that requirement. Marquez, 24, came from the New York Yankees with utility infielder Wilson Betemit and reliever Jhonny Nunez in a Nov. 13 trade for Swisher and minor-league pitcher Kanekoa Texeira. Fast forward to spring training, and while Betemit has a chance to make the roster as a key reserve, Guillen hopes Marquez can be a fixture in the starting rotation for years to come. ''I like the way this kid throws,'' Guillen said. ''He has a chance to be real interesting.'' In his Sox debut Saturday -- on as big a stage as it gets in spring -- Marquez started in Mesa against the crosstown-rival Cubs and threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. ''I was very anxious to get out there for my first time with the White Sox,'' Marquez said. ''I felt good, calmed down there a little bit and had a good day.'' But one good day won't determine Marquez's fate. He'll need a number of them. And even if he puts together a solid spring, that might not be enough to win him a spot in the rotation. Marquez and Clayton Richard are Plan B. Plan A is the return to health of Bartolo Colon and Jose Contreras. The two veterans are scheduled to throw off the mound this morning for the first time this spring. If they show they are healthy as camp closes, Marquez will be battling for a long relief role. ''The goal is to get to the big leagues, whether it's a starter, reliever, whatever,'' Marquez said Sunday. ''For right now, I'm on a starter's schedule, but if they need me to be a reliever, I'll do whatever.'' While Marquez is penciled in to make his next start Thursday in Las Vegas, he remains a work in progress. His sinkerball has drawn comparisons to Jon Garland, but pitching coach Don Cooper has been working on improving Marquez's slider to go with a good changeup and curveball. ''I don't know if it's fair to make the Garland comparison,'' Cooper said. ''Jon Garland won over 100 games [106], so this kid has a way to go. I understand that they both throw the sinker well, but let's let this kid make his own path.'' That sounds fine to Marquez. ''They say that pitching with that 'NY' on your hat brings some pressure, and supposedly the hardest thing to do in this game is be a pitcher in Yankee Stadium, but I didn't get to really experience either,'' Marquez said. ''Getting traded here, well, that might be a blessing. ''The first thing [general manager Ken Williams] told me was that they acquired me with the intention to give me a shot. What more can you ask for?'' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowand's rowdies Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Marquez looked good against the Cubs, I was there. He's got a strange delivery that looks like it fools hitters. Almost like they expect him to throw faster. Then again, that's usually how the Cub's hitters look - fooled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthsideDon48 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 QUOTE (rowand's rowdies @ Mar 3, 2009 -> 09:42 AM) Marquez looked good against the Cubs, I was there. He's got a strange delivery that looks like it fools hitters. Almost like they expect him to throw faster. Then again, that's usually how the Cub's hitters look - fooled. Hey, I haven't seen Marquez pitch yet, but I'm interested in hearing about his delivery. What makes his delivery deceptive? Does he hestitate like some japanese pitchers do? Or does he have a quick windup that makes it look like he's putting more into throwing the ball than he really does? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaseballNick Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 QUOTE (rowand's rowdies @ Mar 3, 2009 -> 09:42 AM) Then again, that's usually how the Cub's hitters look - fooled. The Sox lost that game 13-0. If there was one team being fooled that day, it wasn't the Cubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkfan Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 QUOTE (rowand's rowdies @ Mar 3, 2009 -> 03:42 PM) Marquez looked good against the Cubs, I was there. He's got a strange delivery that looks like it fools hitters. Almost like they expect him to throw faster. Then again, that's usually how the Cub's hitters look - fooled. I can't see anything out of the ordinary with his delivery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 If either Colon or Contreras isn't ready early April, it makes us a lot better if Marquez can handle things for a month while Richard hits the pen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Chappas Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 3, 2009 -> 09:24 AM) http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/wh...T-sox02.article Hey thanks for posting these I am too lazy to go anywhere other than this site for Sox news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaTank Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 QUOTE (BaseballNick @ Mar 3, 2009 -> 10:00 AM) The Sox lost that game 13-0. If there was one team being fooled that day, it wasn't the Cubs. Marquez did his job that day. 2.0 IP, 0 H, 1BB, 2K(?) I like Marquez. The way Ozzie and Kenny talk about him make me feel like assured that this guy will be a solid starter for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joejoesox Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 QUOTE (rowand's rowdies @ Mar 3, 2009 -> 09:42 AM) Marquez looked good against the Cubs, I was there. He's got a strange delivery that looks like it fools hitters. Almost like they expect him to throw faster. Then again, that's usually how the Cub's hitters look - fooled. like sonnanstine for TB? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSoxMatt Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 his potential is worth more than Swish would have given us this yr...I cant believe for all the hoopla that guy has following him, he was such a sour puss last yr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThunderBolt Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Subtract last years stats and this was what the hoopla was about http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/swishni01.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowand's rowdies Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 He just seemed to have the cubs hitters missing badly, I was in the bleachers in left field for this one, so my view was not the best, just seemed to have a slower garland like delivery to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan1 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Mar 3, 2009 -> 02:54 PM) Subtract last years stats and this was what the hoopla was about http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/swishni01.shtml .250 avg, .350-.360 obp, 20-25 HR, and 70-80 RBI? Whoop dee doo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigruss Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Mar 3, 2009 -> 05:12 PM) .250 avg, .350-.360 obp, 20-25 HR, and 70-80 RBI? Whoop dee doo. In '06 and '07, he was starting to become a huge offensive threat, one who seemingly had a great eye and good power, a combination that is deadly if true. Now, it wasnt true here, as we found out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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