gioperation
03-14-2003, 01:31 PM
03/13/2003 5:49 pm ET
Rogers excited to be part of Twins
Lefty passes physical, gets to work
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
Kenny Rogers was 13-8 with a 3.84 ERA in 33 starts with the Rangers in 2002. (LM Otero/AP)
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Fresh from signing a one-year contract with the Minnesota Twins Thursday, new starter Kenny Rogers appeared very eager to get to work.
Only moments after passing his physical, Rogers was outside throwing in a bullpen session and later got dirty during pitchers' fielding drills.
"He works hard," said Rick Reed, who also pitched with Rogers on the Rangers and Mets. "I came in today and found out he took 500 comebackers. He's ready to go."
The 38-year-old Rogers was a free agent during the offseason and sat out most of Spring Training waiting to land with a team. Now the left-hander is trying to catch up and get ready for Opening Day, just over two weeks away.
"I'd like to have a little more time than I've got, but I'll squeeze as much as I can in these next couple of weeks," said Rogers, who was 13-8 for Texas last season with a 3.84 ERA.
Rogers felt his arm was in good shape from throwing every other day with former Rangers pitching coach Ray Burris in Fort Worth, Texas. But he's said it's his leg strength that still needs building up after his first workout with the Twins.
"I'm not in as good of shape as I need to be in," said Rogers, who anticipates facing live hitters in simulated games within a couple of days. "But I'm going to get there."
It remains to be seen which spot Rogers will have in the rotation. It's also unclear whether he can be ready for his first regular season start in time.
"My dilemma is not when I'll be slotted in," Rogers said. "It's just me getting ready on the right time frame so I'm here for 34-35 starts. This is not my ideal situation only having 15-18 days to get ready. My goal will be to get ready on time for this team. I don't want to miss my turn in the rotation."
Before accepting Minnesota's $2 million offer, Rogers said he turned down a few offers from other clubs throughout the winter.
"It ended up being based (on being able) to pitch for a team I felt gave me a chance to do what I wanted to do, pitch for a team that has a chance to win," he said. "Some of those other teams I felt, in my own personal opinion, might not give me that opportunity. So I waited."
One of those clubs courting him, Rogers admitted, was Minnesota's AL Central division rival, the White Sox.
"When they got Bartolo (Colon), it changed the environment," said Rogers, who is 10-7 lifetime with a 4.81 ERA vs. Chicago. "They called back again later, but it was a different situation for me."
With injured lefty Eric Milton's knee injury expected to sideline him for at least half the season, Twins general manager Terry Ryan was looking to maintain his club's pitching depth.
"I think this is a good addition," Ryan said. "We've faced this guy. He's carved us up through the years just like he has a lot of hitters. I think overall, this should energize us a little bit. We were a little deflated when Milton went down. We've overcome that and we'll survive."
Knowing the Twins were still deep even without Milton, Rogers expressed surprise when the club reached out.
Kenny Rogers / P
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 217
Bats/Throws: L/L
More info:
Stats
Splits
"I thought they were pretty much set," he said. "Later on, most teams figure out their rosters and their limits of what they were willing to do or could do. It opened up here for a bad reason. Hopefully, Eric will be back sooner than later. I'll still be here to help out."
Before pulling the trigger on the signing, Ryan said he consulted Twins owner Carl Pohlad and his family. The signing is believed to bring Minnesota's payroll into the $55 million range.
"They got back to me within a couple of hours with an answer, which I greatly appreciated," Ryan said. "Our ownership stepped up. For us to get this done, we had to reach in and do something financially. We're stretched."
In Rogers, the Twins are getting someone who threw 210 innings in 2002, with quality starts in 21 of 33 games. The club is also getting a groundball pitcher that relies on putting the ball in play, which should make him a good fit with Minnesota's defensive-oriented team.
"They're young, energetic," Rogers said. "For a guy like myself, that's been around a long time, a breath of fresh air is a good thing."
With his career in its twilight, Rogers felt he had limited chances to get back to the postseason. Even if it meant taking a large pay cut from his $7.5 million salary of last year, he feels the waiting paid off for him.
"I was going nuts at home," Rogers said. "I'm really just happy to be here. I could have accepted a few other offers for more if I wanted to. But the opportunity of what I was looking for was about more than what I was going to make."
Rogers is a 14-year Major League veteran, who broke in with the Rangers in 1989. He was with the Yankees, Athletics and Mets from 1996-99 before returning to Texas in 2000. Lifetime, he is 145-106 with a 4.20 ERA
Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This report was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
I think it is I have always liked Rodgers and he brings some more vet exp like Mike Jackson did last year.
Rogers excited to be part of Twins
Lefty passes physical, gets to work
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
Kenny Rogers was 13-8 with a 3.84 ERA in 33 starts with the Rangers in 2002. (LM Otero/AP)
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Fresh from signing a one-year contract with the Minnesota Twins Thursday, new starter Kenny Rogers appeared very eager to get to work.
Only moments after passing his physical, Rogers was outside throwing in a bullpen session and later got dirty during pitchers' fielding drills.
"He works hard," said Rick Reed, who also pitched with Rogers on the Rangers and Mets. "I came in today and found out he took 500 comebackers. He's ready to go."
The 38-year-old Rogers was a free agent during the offseason and sat out most of Spring Training waiting to land with a team. Now the left-hander is trying to catch up and get ready for Opening Day, just over two weeks away.
"I'd like to have a little more time than I've got, but I'll squeeze as much as I can in these next couple of weeks," said Rogers, who was 13-8 for Texas last season with a 3.84 ERA.
Rogers felt his arm was in good shape from throwing every other day with former Rangers pitching coach Ray Burris in Fort Worth, Texas. But he's said it's his leg strength that still needs building up after his first workout with the Twins.
"I'm not in as good of shape as I need to be in," said Rogers, who anticipates facing live hitters in simulated games within a couple of days. "But I'm going to get there."
It remains to be seen which spot Rogers will have in the rotation. It's also unclear whether he can be ready for his first regular season start in time.
"My dilemma is not when I'll be slotted in," Rogers said. "It's just me getting ready on the right time frame so I'm here for 34-35 starts. This is not my ideal situation only having 15-18 days to get ready. My goal will be to get ready on time for this team. I don't want to miss my turn in the rotation."
Before accepting Minnesota's $2 million offer, Rogers said he turned down a few offers from other clubs throughout the winter.
"It ended up being based (on being able) to pitch for a team I felt gave me a chance to do what I wanted to do, pitch for a team that has a chance to win," he said. "Some of those other teams I felt, in my own personal opinion, might not give me that opportunity. So I waited."
One of those clubs courting him, Rogers admitted, was Minnesota's AL Central division rival, the White Sox.
"When they got Bartolo (Colon), it changed the environment," said Rogers, who is 10-7 lifetime with a 4.81 ERA vs. Chicago. "They called back again later, but it was a different situation for me."
With injured lefty Eric Milton's knee injury expected to sideline him for at least half the season, Twins general manager Terry Ryan was looking to maintain his club's pitching depth.
"I think this is a good addition," Ryan said. "We've faced this guy. He's carved us up through the years just like he has a lot of hitters. I think overall, this should energize us a little bit. We were a little deflated when Milton went down. We've overcome that and we'll survive."
Knowing the Twins were still deep even without Milton, Rogers expressed surprise when the club reached out.
Kenny Rogers / P
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 217
Bats/Throws: L/L
More info:
Stats
Splits
"I thought they were pretty much set," he said. "Later on, most teams figure out their rosters and their limits of what they were willing to do or could do. It opened up here for a bad reason. Hopefully, Eric will be back sooner than later. I'll still be here to help out."
Before pulling the trigger on the signing, Ryan said he consulted Twins owner Carl Pohlad and his family. The signing is believed to bring Minnesota's payroll into the $55 million range.
"They got back to me within a couple of hours with an answer, which I greatly appreciated," Ryan said. "Our ownership stepped up. For us to get this done, we had to reach in and do something financially. We're stretched."
In Rogers, the Twins are getting someone who threw 210 innings in 2002, with quality starts in 21 of 33 games. The club is also getting a groundball pitcher that relies on putting the ball in play, which should make him a good fit with Minnesota's defensive-oriented team.
"They're young, energetic," Rogers said. "For a guy like myself, that's been around a long time, a breath of fresh air is a good thing."
With his career in its twilight, Rogers felt he had limited chances to get back to the postseason. Even if it meant taking a large pay cut from his $7.5 million salary of last year, he feels the waiting paid off for him.
"I was going nuts at home," Rogers said. "I'm really just happy to be here. I could have accepted a few other offers for more if I wanted to. But the opportunity of what I was looking for was about more than what I was going to make."
Rogers is a 14-year Major League veteran, who broke in with the Rangers in 1989. He was with the Yankees, Athletics and Mets from 1996-99 before returning to Texas in 2000. Lifetime, he is 145-106 with a 4.20 ERA
Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This report was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
I think it is I have always liked Rodgers and he brings some more vet exp like Mike Jackson did last year.