The Julian Javelina enter the 2007 season sporting a new uniform, a new stadium and a re-vamped roster. The team has made several key improvements to a roster that scuffled to a 14th place finish in 2006, not the least of which toom place in the heart of the pitching staff. GM Jamie Hoyle placed a premium on his starting pitching, and at first glance is seems he got the most bang for his buck.
Joining last season's ace Aaron Harang are the unhittable Johan Santana, Danny Haren, Ervin Santana and Jake Westbrook. The coaching staff feels the additions both through trades and the draft will provide the necessary improvement, particularly in the #4 spot in the rotation. That, of course, is where Ervin Santana resides.
Santana, who just turned 24, is coming off of a season in which he tallied 16 wins to go along with 141 strike outs, a 4.28 ERA and a WHIP of 1.23. Most scouts agree that Santana has the stuff to be a dominant starter, they also agree that he must first harness his command in order to realize his promise. The Javelina coaching staff feels his pursuit of the strike out is what is hindering his command.
"What we'd like to see Erv work on right now his hitting his spots, rather than striking guys out" said Hoyle. "We'd like to see less concern over how he gets guys out and more focus on just getting outs. Everything else, including the strike outs, will follow that lead."
To his credit, Santana agrees with his GM.
"Strike outs are flashy, but not necessary," said Santana. "If I change speeds and hit my spots, things will work themselves out. All I want to do is win, everything else is icing on the cake."
Team scouts believe Santana is very close to realizing his immense talents. Most of the staff agrees they would be happy with another 150 strike out season, but that something closer to 165 wouldn't shock them. Either way, if he can win another 15+ games, Hoyle has added a very valuable piece to his rotation.
Swings and misses...
Xavier Nady seems to have moved past his intestinal ailments and has returned to team workouts...Khalil Greene his hit first home run of the spring on Wednesday...LF Jason Bay's knee has improved greatly and he will make his spring debut on Wednesday...Justin Morneau and the team are working dilligently on a contract extension which would keep him in Julian through the 2008 season.
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