News
Russ Ortiz - A Giant Homecoming
Kyle Galdeira
04/09/07
Russ Ortiz has seen his career come full circle.
The 32-year-old right-handed pitcher got his start in the HWB League with the West Oahu CaneFires in the 1995 and '96 seasons, and molded himself into a 21-game winner and National League All-Star with the Atlanta Braves in 2003. But, as is common in the turbulent world of a pitcher, his success did not last long.
After leaving the Braves in 2005 to join Arizona, Ortiz went a combined 20-20 in two seasons. Last year, he endured his worst campaign to date, compiling a dismal 0-8 record with both the Diamondbacks and Baltimore, which picked him up in late June after he was sent down to the minors. Ortiz spent this past winter in Puerto Rico trying to regain his form, and battled back to make the San Francisco Giants 25-man roster--the same squad with which he made his Major League debut in 1998.
Currently the fifth starter in a Giants rotation that includes former Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito and 22-year-old sensation Matt Cain, Ortiz has the chance to prove that he still has what it takes to succeed at the highest level. He sat down with HWB before a recent Spring Training game to discuss:
His HWB experience: "Any time you can get two months in Hawaii, that's great. At the time (players) couldn't be above double-A, so it was very, very good competition. I think it helped me to kind of make sure that I learned as much as I could because I was competing against a lot of big prospects. One of the great things was, because of all the competition, you had to separate off-field and on-field stuff. It was tough at first because I'd never been there before, so being able to do that was a big plus when you start moving on. Just the way they ran (the league), it was as smooth as you could want it. They took care of us real well and made sure we had everything we needed."
His return to San Francisco for a shot at redemption:
"I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to play, so right now I'm just looking at this year to kind of see what happens. But this
is a great place to play, and it's where I started, so being able to come back is a good feeling. I've really enjoyed how my career's gone, even
(through) the bad times, I've felt like it's made me a better player. My whole pro ball career, I've spent four years in winter ball--two years in
Hawaii and two in Puerto Rico--and that has a lot to do with my learning experience, and bringing me back to today."
Some advice for young fans:
"The biggest thing, especially for a pitcher, is knowing what type of pitcher you are. Knowing what your best pitches are, and not trying to do
anything extra, not trying to be a pitcher you see on TV. Watch the game, watch how the situations unfold and see how hitters do what they do. Talk to
your position coaches, and try to find out as much as you can about what they're thinking. You can't learn enough about this game. The more you learn,
and the more questions you ask, the easier it is to go out there and allow the game to go at your pace. The higher you climb up, the faster the game's
going to get. So, the more you learn, the easier it's going to be to recognize things more. Just know that all we can do is go out and try to do our
job. Everything else is out of our hands. You can't control what the manager is thinking, what hitters are going to do, what the umpire's going to
call. As soon as you let go of the ball, it's out of your control. Just keep it as simple as possible and just go pitch. Have fun with it, enjoy
it, and don't take it too seriously. Those are all things I've learned from other players, and after a few years, it finally clicked."
