Tom Gorzelanny says he is ready to put a miserable 2008 season behind him. He has lost 15 pounds and a new closely-cropped haircut is at symbolic of change.
The left-hander seemed poised to become of the better starting pitchers in the National League in 2007 when he went 14-10 with a 3.88 ERA in 32 starts during his first full major league season. However, he was 6-9 with a 6.66 ERA in 21 starts last season, and he was made to take a seven-start detour to Class AAA Indianapolis beginning July 4 in an effort to get on track. Gorzelanny admitted he reported to spring training out of shape last year after getting married in the offseason and slacking off on his workouts. He also had elbow pain that persisted throughout the season, though he hid the severity from the Pirates' medical staff.
"I figured once we got started with spring training, everything would be fine, I'd get back into shape and my arm would stop hurting," Gorzelanny said. "It was a humbling season. I learned a lot about myself and to not take things for granted. I realized that the hard work doesn't stop once you have success in the major leagues."
Gorzelanny tried to pitch through the elbow discomfort. He second-guesses himself for not having the problem attended to early.
"I didn't think it was that serious and I really wanted to build off what I had done the year before," Gorzelanny said. "I'm a competitor. I wanted to take the ball every fifth day and pitch. I didn't want to go on the disabled list. Looking back, it was selfish on my part. At the time, though, I felt I was doing the right thing by not letting my team down."
His lessons learned, Gorzelanny believes he is on course for a season more like 2007 than 2008.
"Last year was so frustrating that I never want to go through anything like that again," Gorzelanny said. "It made me hungry to come back this season and pitch the way I know I'm capable of pitching."
WHERE, WHEN: McKechnie Field, Bradenton, Fla. The first exhibition game is Feb. 25 against Philadelphia at Bradenton.
TOP CANDIDATE TO SURPRISE: RHP Ross Ohlendorf is a big, strong and smart guy who has great stuff and seems ready to blossom at 26. He will get a much better opportunity as a starter with the Pirates than he did as a reliever with the Yankees, and he is primed to take advantage.
TOP CANDIDATE TO DISAPPOINT: LHP Tom Gorzelanny said the reason he went from winning 14 games in 2007 to posting a 6.66 ERA in 2008 is that he hid an elbow problem all season. Sore elbows often lead to major surgery, especially when it comes to Pittsburgh pitchers.
AUTHORITY FIGURES: Manager John Russell was 67-95 in his first season in 2008, and, although he is a patient person by nature, he says he expects a lot more out of his young players this year. He will rely heavily on new pitching coach Joe Kerrigan to fix a staff whose 5.08 ERA last season was the worst in the National League.
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