FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -George Sherrill was picked Tuesday to be the Baltimore Orioles’ closer, an unlikely assignment for a one-time situational left-hander who spent the first four years of his professional career toiling in independent leagues.
“I think any short reliever wants to be the closer, wants to be that go-to guy,” said Sherrill, one of four players acquired from Seattle for left-hander Erik Bedard on Feb. 8. “I think we’re going to have a really special bullpen. I think anybody in this bullpen is going to be good and any of them could close. To be named the one, it’s pretty special.”
With right-hander Chris Ray recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery and manager Dave Trembley preferring to use left-hander Jamie Walker in a setup role, the job fell to Sherrill.
Trembley had decided on the 30-year-old Sherrill early in spring training, but asked the left-hander to see how he felt in exhibition games.
“When he first asked me, I wanted to tell him (yes), but he asked me to hold off,” said Sherrill, who has four career saves. “I wanted to get the feel for it and get my feet wet in the spring.”
Sherrill, normally a slow starter in spring training, responded with a 3.00 ERA, no walks and six strikeouts in five appearances covering six innings.
That was enough to convince Trembley that Sherrill was a better option than right-hander Greg Aquino, who had 16 saves for Arizona in 2004, or right-hander Dennis Sarfate, a hard thrower who came from Houston in the deal for shortstop Miguel Tejada.
“We kind of had an agreement when camp started that we’d let this play out. (Sherrill) is real excited right now; he wants to do it. I think he’s our best option right now,” Trembley said. “He’s competitive, he has finish on his pitches and it doesn’t bother him (to face) right- or left-handed hitters.”
In Seattle, Sherrill – who is 10-8 with a 3.65 ERA in 195 career games – set up for closers Eddie Guardado and J.J. Putz. The 45 2-3 innings and 73 appearances he logged last season were both career highs, but he needs to demonstrate the ability to face more than a couple of batters at a time in Baltimore.
“I needed to see (Sherrill) throw back-to-back. I needed to see him stretched out. I needed to see him against right-handed hitters,” Trembley said.
Sherrill’s career started in remote outposts such as Evansville, Ind., in the Frontier League and Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the Northern League, before he signed with Seattle when he was 26 in 2003.
“To be playing this game is something I didn’t take for granted,” Sherrill said. “Looking back, it’s been a long trip and I’m finally here.”
Sherrill wasn’t the only ex-Mariner to receive an endorsement Tuesday. Trembley said Adam Jones, the centerpiece of the Bedard trade for Baltimore, would be his starting center fielder.
“If I’d write my lineup out today … Adam Jones would be my center fielder, yes he would,” Trembley said before the Orioles’ exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins.
That means Jay Payton will probably begin the season as the Orioles’ fourth outfielder.
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