Notre Dame Receiver Samardzija Takes His Game to Cubs' Diamond
MESA, Ariz. _ After Chicago Cubs pitchers were done running Wednesday at Fitch Park, coach Larry Rothschild gave young right-hander Jeff Samardzija some unsolicited advice on how to wear his cap.
Rothschild recommended the centered look, the way almost every major-leaguer has worn his cap since 1876. Jeff Samardzija's cap was slightly cocked to the left, just as it was in a photo in a recent edition of Baseball America, which named him the No. 3 prospect in the Cubs' system.
It's safe to assume Jeff Samardzija won't be wearing what Rothschild called "the left-handed look" any time soon.
Despite a $10 million contract, a spot on the 40-man roster and built-in name recognition from his previous days as a Notre Dame football star, Jeff Samardzija quickly is discovering he has a lot to learn about baseball etiquette.
Even the fast track has some bumps in the road.
If Jeff Samardzija wasn't in Mesa learning a new trade, he would be in Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine. Though some NFL draft experts projected him as a first-round pick, Jeff Samardzija insisted he wasn't even aware the combine was taking place this week.
Instead of taking the Wonderlic test, Jeff Samardzija is busy wondering if Cubs will give him an opportunity to pitch in a Cactus League game before shipping him to the minor-league camp to prepare for Class A ball.
"I hope I do" get a Cactus League appearance, Jeff Samardzija said. "I feel really good. It's not where I want to be fastball-wise, not 100 percent right now. But I went out (Tuesday) and threw really, really good.
"I was coming off a 45-pitch bullpen (session) the day before, so I was really excited to get out there and see how I'd bounce back. That's always an easy way to tell, and it felt good. I know I was getting out farther (in his delivery), and it still had the pump on it. I feel ready to go.
"We'll figure it out. Right now we're just getting in shape, getting the arm ready to go."
The Cubs' dilemma is this: Jeff Samardzija is coming off a football season and hasn't had time to stretch out his arm like other pitchers, and there aren't enough innings to go around for pitchers with no chance of making the final roster.
Still, the team's investment in Jeff Samardzija goes well beyond the financial. He's clearly being groomed as a future star, just as Mark Prior was coming out of USC in 2001. At the recent Cubs Convention, Jeff Samardzija was introduced right after Prior.
From a marketing standpoint it would make sense to let Jeff Samardzija face the White Sox for an inning or so March 4, giving fans at home a look into the future.
But from a baseball standpoint the Cubs don't have much to gain by having Jeff Samardzija face major-league hitters after only 30 innings in the minors. And Rothschild has more pressing priorities on this spring's to-do list.
"We're not going to put a lot on him," Rothschild said. "Just build him up this spring and get him ready to go out and pitch. Let him experience the camp here, and we'll go from there.
"He's thrown quite a bit, and he came out early and has been throwing off the mound a little bit. He'll have a chance to get in a game."
Meanwhile, quarterback Brady Quinn and several of Jeff Samardzija's other Irish teammates will be among 330 hopefuls attending the NFL combine. They may have to text-message him their 40-yard times, as he currently has too much information to process to pay much attention to their performances.
"I know it's on the NFL Network, but I'm not going to be able to watch much of it," Jeff Samardzija said. "I'll call my boys every day and see how they did. Brady, I don't think he's going to run around too much."
Jeff Samardzija is hoping to last long enough for his crew to come watch him pitch in a Cubs uniform. He said Irish teammate Tom Zbikowski and some other pals are planning a spring-break trek to Mesa to check him out. Some could wind up crashing on the couch of the newly minted millionaire.
"If there's a bunch of people in the stands acting stupid, it's probably them," Jeff Samardzija said.
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