CHICAGO | The sight of that familiar, gangly 6-foot-5 frame, ever-present smile and mop of hair atop Jeff Samardzija's head will be in the Cubs clubhouse this morning, the pitching phenom's family confirmed with The Times on Thursday night.
Earlier in the day general manager Jim Hendry said the move could be "a possibility" with the Cubs finally officially placing Kerry Wood on the disabled list.
The arrival of Samardzija and his 95 mph fastball at Wrigley Field was bound to happen sometime this season, Hendry said. After a drowsy stint at Double-A early this season, the 23-year-old right-hander has come so far, so fast at Triple-A Iowa.
This is the opportunity of Samardzija's young career lifetime so far. Contrary to stereotypes, Cubs manager Lou Piniella always likes young blood, particularly if it can throw hard and throw strikes. The Cubs see Samardzija long-term in either the bullpen or rotation, so putting him in middle relief down the stretch would be in keeping with the Piniella style.
The savvy manager has been looking to change the front end of his bullpen for months anyway. Therefore, Samardzija, nicknamed "The Shark" since his sophomore year of college, could find himself pitching in key situations in the middle of a pennant race. Piniella changed his lineups almost daily in 2007, and has been complaining about his middle relievers almost all of this season.
Michael Wuertz threw too many sliders out of the strike zone for Piniella's tastes, so he's banished to Iowa with Sean Marshall taking his prime locker space next to the corridor to the showers. Veteran Jon Lieber became almost a non-person in the bullpen, rusting from inactivity, before he was shuffled off to the disabled list. Veteran setup man Bobby Howry has a 5.21 ERA and has allowed 60 hits in 48 1/3 innings.
So there. The opportunity to get in Piniella's good graces will be squarely on Samardzija's broad shoulders. He hasn't had it so good since his days as a Notre Dame wide receiver.
He follows in an interesting baseball tradition in which prospects struggle in the lower rungs of the farm system, then dramatically improve the closer they get to the big leagues. And then they truly blossom. Hendry cited the example of shortstop Ryan Theriot, who scuffled in his first four minor-league seasons, then cracked .300 his final two, and now is above .320 with a shot at 200 hits.
"He's on the come," Hendry said of Samardzija. "He's got all the intangibles along with talent and makeup."
Now he could be in the worldwide sports spotlight once again, bricks and ivy and goat-busting replacing a Golden Dome and Touchdown Jesus.
George Castle's "Diamond Gems" baseball show airs at 3 p.m. Saturdays on WIMS-AM (1420). This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at DGemsNet@aol.com.
