Feb. 21, 2012
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Between Cy Young contender Ian Kennedy,
42-year-old reliever Takashi Saito and top prospects like Trevor Bauer
and Tyler Skaggs, the Diamondbacks have plenty of pitching stories to
follow in spring camp.
The most interesting, however, might just
be that of Jason Lane, a pitcher turned outfielder turned pitcher again
now trying to catch on with the D-backs as a non-roster invitee.
Lane,
35, was drafted by the Houston Astros after pitching at Southern
California. But the Astros decided his bat was his best asset and
converted him to first base. In 2005, playing outfield, delivered 26
home runs and 78 RBI for the astros while hitting .267.
Lane hit
15 homers the next season, but consistency was an issue and he hasn't
appeared in the majors since 2007. After bouncing around the minors,
Lane found himself last season with the Toronto Bluejays' Triple-A
affiliate Las Vegas 51s -- as an outfielder. When the 51s found
themselves short on pitchers late in games, Lane offered his services.
"I
offered to do it and had a little bit of success at it, so they used me
a little more often," Lane said. "Now I've got this opportunity (with
the D-backs). It just sort of worked itself out."
The return to
pitching was in no way planned. It just sort of happened. Lane totaled
13 innings in six appearances for the 51s and says pitching is like
riding a bike. You don't forget how to do it.
"I was pretty
comfortable out there pretty quick," Lane said. "It came back to me. I
can always throw strikes. I pitched a lot as a younger player, all the
way through college, so it wasn't totally foreign to me."
The
intricacies like command and velocity didn't come back quite as easily,
and Lane said the biggest challenge has been conditioning. This is his
first professional offseason as a pitcher, so he's adjusting to the
changes in his workout routine, like throwing every day.
In camp on Tuesday, Lane threw his first major league bullpen session.
Ironically
enough, he did so just after top prospect Trevor Bauer, the D-backs'
21-year-old first-round pick from the 2011 draft, threw his first.
Lane
knows his story is unusual, particularly because of his age. (Sergio
Santos, a former first-round draft choice of the Diamondbacks as a
shortstop, made the conversion to relief pitching three years ago, at
age 26, and is now the closer for the Toronto Blue Jays.) Not many
outfielders make the move to the mound after 30, but there are some
advantages.
"My arm is somewhat fresh, and I've taken care of
it," he said. "I don't have the wear and tear like a 35-year-old pitcher
would have."
Lane said he hasn't concerned himself with the
logistics of the D-backs' roster and his chances of sticking in the
majors. His first priority is just trying to show the D-backs he can
contribute as a pitcher.
"I haven’t even looked at that side of
it yet," Lane said. "Obviously my goal is to get to the big leagues and
help this team win. So I just try to take care of what I can do and work
on what I can bring to the team."
-- Tyler Lockman
