Some big names among second wave of cuts
BRADENTON, Fla. — A top prospect. A pitcher with 217 career saves. A member of the 2001 opening day starting rotation.
The Pirates announced the second round of roster cuts Wednesday morning, and the 13 reductions covered a broad spectrum of players.
The list included catcher J.R. House, who hadn't played in a game this spring because of an abdominal injury; reliever Gregg Olson, formerly one of the game's premier closers; and pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who went from a candidate for a starting job to the minor leagues in a span of two days.
Olson, a 12-year veteran, was given his unconditional release. Arroyo was optioned to Class AAA Nashville. House was optioned to Class AA Altoona. In trimming the roster to 46 players, the Pirates also reassigned outfielder Ryan Radmanovich, first baseman Chris Pritchett, catcher Reed Secrist, and pitchers Brian Smith and Kevin Tolar to the minor-league camp. Optioned to Altoona were outfielder J.J. Davis, and pitchers Mike Gonzalez, John Grabow and Adrian Burnside.
In the afternoon, the Pirates made their final move, giving second baseman Warren Morris his unconditional release.
"I'm sure all of the players are disappointed," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "But that's the nature of this beast."
For Arroyo and Olson, they didn't expect the beast to pounce on them so quickly.
Arroyo, 25, opened last season in the Pirates' rotation because of injuries to Francisco Cordova, Jason Schmidt and Kris Benson. But with the additions of Pat Rapp, Ron Villone, Kip Wells and Sean Lowe in camp, Arroyo knew he faced an uphill battle to make that happen again this spring.
"I'm surprised it happened so early even though I didn't think I would make the team," Arroyo said.
The Pirates decided to demote Arroyo so he could build up his innings as a starter. Minor-league spring-training games are scheduled to begin today.
"It became evident that he was behind the other guys," general manager Dave Littlefield said. "There's enough stuff there that we think he can pitch in the big leagues. But we need him to keep developing that stuff."
Arroyo has been a winner at every rung of the minor-league ladder, tying for the league lead in victories at both Class A Lynchburg (1997) and Altoona (1999). He also has a 14-4 record in parts of two seasons at Nashville. "It's not going to be hard to be motivated," Arroyo said about his return trip to Nashville. "If I can win 30 games at Nashville, I will. Whether it's Nashville or Pittsburgh, the motivation to win is the same."
Olson, 35, might be at the end of a long and once illustrious career. He is coming off a season in which he had a 8.03 earned run average in 28 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who released him in mid-season. The Pirates signed Olson to a minor-league contract Jan. 29.
"I'm going to see how it goes and see what I can find," Olson said. "If nothing's there, I'll go home. The past two years have been pretty miserable. Maybe it's time for me to move on."
Olson pitched only twice this spring. He was touched for four runs and six hits in two innings.
"It became evident in our mind that with him being slow coming out of the blocks, he was so far behind at this point that he wasn't going to be able to catch up and make the club," Littlefield said.
The 1989 American League Rookie of the Year and a member of the 1990 All-Star team, Olson saved 160 games for the Baltimore Orioles in a five-season span. But he blew out his right elbow at the peak of his career and was never the same pitcher. Olson opted against undergoing reconstructive surgery and spent the next four seasons pitching for seven teams. A resurrection occurred in 1998 when he saved 30 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"You can't go back and second guess about anything," he said. "It's been good. I can't complain and I won't. It's been a lot of fun."
House, one of the top prospects in the organization, wasn't surprised to be called into McClendon's office.
"I knew once I was hurt that I probably wouldn't play," he said. "I'm just glad I'm feeling well. I feel like I'm 100 percent physically."
The Pirates want House to return to Altoona, where he spent the 2001 season and batted .258 with 11 homers and 56 runs batted in 112 games.
"I knew that was going to happen because I didn't have a good year offensively," House said. "Hopefully, I'll have a big year."
Joining House at Altoona will be a pair of intriguing left-handed pitchers: Burnside and Gonzalez. Burnside, an Australian native who turns 25 on Friday, was acquired along with Mike Fetters from the Dodgers last July.
Burnside didn't give up a run or a hit in three innings this spring. Although he was a candidate to win a spot in the Pirates bullpen, he will return to a starting role at Altoona.
"He hasn't played a lot of baseball, and we think he needs to develop some consistency with his pitches," Littlefield said. "This guy needs reps right now."
Gonzalez, 23, increased his stock in the organization with a strong showing at the developmental Arizona Fall League. He was competing in his first major-league camp.
"He has the physical ability to pitch here," Littlefield said. "Whether that translates into him becoming a big-league pitcher, that's the fun part of going out and playing games."
Davis, the Pirates' first-round draft pick in 1997, was 2 for 10 in nine games. Grabow, the team's third-round pick in that draft, allowed five hits and four runs in two innings.
Radmanovich, Secrist, Pritchett, Tolar and Smith were non-roster invitees.
