By HAL McCOY
FOXSportsOhio.com
Feb. 21, 2011
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- From the day he walked into his first major league camp last spring, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mike Leake latched on to Bronson Arroyo -- two long-haired guys who more resemble surfer boys than baseball pitchers.
Leake, in fact, kept a skateboard in his locker last season in Cincinnati and was often spotted riding it around the clubhouse.
Leake and Arroyo shared an apartment last season in Cincinnati. This winter, they spent five days together in Costa Rica, "Surfing, playing golf, ATV-ing in the mountains and fishing," said Arroyo.
Leake, 23, was a sensation last spring and the first half of the season. He was the Reds' first-round draft pick in June 2009 but didn't sign in time to pitch in the minors that year.
Then he came to camp in 2010 and stunned everybody by not only making the team, but making the rotation and starting his major league career with a 5-0 record, earning him a story in Sports Illustrated.
But arm fatigue caught up with him after a 5-4 win on Aug. 14, and the Reds shut him down for the rest of the season after two relief appearances. His final outing was Aug. 24.
And now, in spring training for 2011, Leake finds himself in a battle to stay in the majors, despite his 8-4 record with a 4.23 ERA as a rookie.
There are six solid candidates for the five rotation spots -- Arroyo, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, Travis Wood, Homer Bailey and Leake.
The Reds, of course, have all three minor-league options left on Leake. He could find himself starting the season in the Class AAA Louisville Bats rotation.
Even though they are close, Arroyo is a realist for his friend.
"Right now, he is on the fence," Arroyo said. "People wonder if he is going to be the Mike Leake we saw last year or was that a fluke because nobody had seen him and did he just have a hot hand for a while. I tend to think it will be tough to do what he did the first two months last season and what he did in spring training to make the team.
"I think he is going to be successful, as long as he continues to throw strikes and put the movement on the ball the way he does. He needs to continue changing speeds, and I see no reason why he won't be successful down the road.
"I like his composure and a feel he has for pitching. He came in as a confident guy, really sure of who he is and what he wants to do in life. Over the course of the season, he was still the same guy, but he realized over the course of a long season, 162 games, he would run into some problems he didn't expect. He had an opportunity to watch my program and see how I do things, and that helped him out a little bit."
But then there is that pitching depth dangling over Leake's head like a hanging curveball.
"It is going to be a dogfight," Arroyo said. "No question, it is going to be a tough situation -- for a lot of people. This team is about as full as any team could be. We probably have one outfielder, one infielder and maybe two spots pitching-wise. So it's definitely going to be a tough camp.
"The good thing is that it forces people to do their work and stay healthy. If you slip up one time and get hurt for a couple of weeks, your chance to make this team becomes slim and none."
Leake remains optimistic but on guard.
"I'm going to go about it the same way as last year -- head into spring training fighting for a spot," Leake said. "The pitching will speak for itself, whoever does the job."
Of his work stoppage last year after 138-1/3 innings, Leake isn't sure whether it hurt or helped.
"I did all right when I was healthy," Leake said, "and I hope they'll look more at that rather than I wasn't able to go the whole season.
"It was just fatigue, the fact I hadn't pitched that much in that short of time. All I can ask is for them to give me another opportunity. I worked on strength, more than anything, because I knew we'd come in here and do a lot of conditioning. My main focus is trying to get stronger to withstand a whole season."
Leake admits that, more than anything, his first year in the majors was a quick study of what it is all about and what it takes to be successful and stay successful.
"Hitters definitely are tougher than what I faced in college (pitching for Arizona State)," he said. "They are much more mature. They are able to adjust to you during the course of one game, sometimes in one at-bat. College hitters are not able to adjust in one game and need multiple sit-downs watching video.
"So, for me, it is a matter of adjusting within a game, too. And I'm learning more and more from Bronson, but it is a process that takes time. I've only seen him one year and, hopefully, I'll learn more by watching him another year. I really learn more from watching him than talking to him, but both helps."
Leake knows, though, he can only watch if he is on the Reds' roster. He can't watch from Louisville, even with the strongest binoculars in the world.
