After rigorous offseason, Nolasco plans to improve off subpar 2014
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- When Ricky Nolasco addressed the media after his final start of a forgettable 2014 season, the Twins right-hander said he wanted to put his first year in Minnesota in the past.
He had just finished with a 6-12 record and a 5.38 ERA, more than a full run above his career average. And Nolasco posted those numbers after signing what was at the time the largest free-agent contract given by the Twins in team history: four years, $49 million.
Minnesota's rotation struggled mightily last year, and Nolasco was one of several culprits. Yet spring training is a time for optimism, the opportunity to hit the delete button on the previous season. That held true for Nolasco perhaps better than any other player in Twins camp.
"Every year of my career I've put behind me, whether it's good or bad," Nolasco said earlier this month. "Every year's a new year. The game is as good as what you've done lately. I'm just focusing on this year and trying to help this team win."
With an eye on a bounce-back year in 2015, Nolasco spent plenty of time this offseason training with former teammate and Miami Marlins star Giancarlo Stanton, who recently signed a mega contract worth $325 million over 13 years. When Nolasco, Stanton and Marlins reliever A.J. Ramos weren't traveling the world, they were hard at work in Nolasco's native California, going through rigorous offseason workouts.
Stanton wanted to prove that he was worth the big money Miami just shelled out for him. The same could be said about Nolasco, even if his contract paled in comparison to that of his good friend.
"We worked hard," Nolasco said. "We were dedicated to what we had to do. A very successful offseason, I guess, and had some fun along the way. It was good."
Not that Nolasco didn't come to camp with a focus last spring, but it's been different this year for the 32-year-old as he enters his 10th major league season. Before signing with the Twins, he had posted double-digit wins in seven of his first eight years with a career ERA of 4.37 and a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 1.28. His WHIP of 1.516 in 2014 was the second-highest of his career.
Nolasco's teammates have seen a difference in him this spring, both from a physical and mental standpoint.
"I know he physically was on a pretty crazy offseason training regimen with Stanton and running up these giant hills and stuff. You can tell he's hungry and motivated," said Twins right-hander Phil Hughes, who joined Nolasco last year as Minnesota's other addition to the rotation. "I don't know personally, but from what I've seen, you sign a big contract, you come off a disappointing year, you have that motivation to come back and be stronger and better. I have no doubt that that's going to happen for him."
Hughes was the lone starter in the Twins' rotation last year to post a sub-4.00 ERA. He finished 16-10 with a 3.52 ERA, set a new MLB record for the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in a season (11.63) and enters 2015 as the team's No. 1 starter.
Whether or not Hughes can replicate that success in 2015 remains to be seen, but the Twins are hopeful that Nolasco will rebound from a tough 2014 and put up numbers closer to what he's done throughout the rest of his career. Those two pitchers, coupled with the addition of right-hander Ervin Santana this past offseason, give Minnesota three veterans in the rotation.
Believing that he can put his best foot forward this season, Nolasco has high hopes for the Twins' starting pitching.
"I feel real good about it. I think everybody does," he said. "Hopefully we all stay healthy and put things together and give us a chance to win."
Last year was a season of many adjustments for Nolasco. It was his first year pitching in the American League, and he was in a clubhouse with many new faces -- including the manager. Yet after playing for Ron Gardenhire last year, Nolasco is once again playing for a new manager, his fourth in three seasons. He played for former Twins catcher Mike Redmond in Miami in 2013 before being traded to the Don Mattingly-led Dodgers late in the year.
This year is not only a fresh start for Nolasco but also for the Twins, who have lost 90 or more games in four straight seasons. Bringing in Hall of Famer Paul Molitor as the team's manager has injected a new voice in the clubhouse. As Nolasco looks forward to a rebound of his own, he has faith that Molitor can help the Twins do the same.
"He's been doing a real good job with the way he speaks to us, and I think everybody's listening, knowing his background and the respect he's earned in this game," Nolasco said. "Just play the game the right way and do things the way we should and be fundamentally sound, which Paul's been preaching this whole spring training. That's the goal, because when you see teams in the playoffs, everybody's fundamentally sound. They're not out there scoring a ton of runs or doing one thing real extreme. They're just doing everything really good. As long as we can just kind of tighten things up, I think we should be good."
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