Kicking Pittsburgh When It's Down: Vogelsong Is Lights-Out

The Pittsburgh Pirates must be developing some sort of complex when it comes to the Giants.

First, there’s that whole “haven’t had a winning season since Bonds left” thing. Then, they had to watch Freddy Sanchez win a World Series ring while wondering if Tim Alderson would ever make it past Double-A ball. Javier Lopez came from Pittsburgh, too, and all the Pirates have to show for him is John Bowker swinging and missing at breaking balls. And before that, they watched Jason Schmidt finally realize his potential and turn into one of the best pitchers in baseball.

And now, another added indignity for the Pirates to endure: Ryan Vogelsong, the centerpiece of the Schmidt trade for Pittsburgh who flamed out and never made the impact the Pirates hoped he would, is back with the Giants. And he’s pitching better than he ever has in his career.

Ah, Pittsburgh fans. At least you still have the Penguins.

Vogelsong has been lights out for the Giants this spring, pitching to a 1.04 ERA in 8.2 innings of work while striking out 9 and giving up 4 hits. For whatever reason, the Giants have been giving him an extra-long look this spring, as he came into today tied with Jonathan Sanchez for the most innings pitched on the team. He hasn’t disappointed, either.

In spite of his strong spring, Vogelsong is facing a tough road to make the Giants’ roster and get back to the Majors. There’s one spot available on the pitching staff, and if I had to guess I’d say the Giants would prefer it if Jeff Suppan won the job. Why? The Giants are still partial to veteran ballplayers, and Suppan has more of a track record in the big leagues than Vogelsong does. It’s pretty lousy track record, but still a track record nonetheless. Plus, Suppan has been doing his best Todd Wellemeyer impression thus far (remember, Wellemeyer was great before the games actually counted last year) and hasn’t given the Giants a glimpse of his gas can self just yet. The deck is stacked against Vogelsong.

Still, you get the impression that the Giants are taking note of Vogelsong’s stats: he hasn’t pitched as much as he has by accident. Even if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster, he’s at least earning a spot at the top of Fresno’s rotation if he keeps pitching the way he’s pitching. With very little starting pitching depth in the system, there’s a good chance the Giants will have a need for Vogelsong at some point during the season. There could be an injury, a starter might get fatigued, or the Giants might realize they somehow let Jeff Suppan onto their roster. Anything could happen.

It’s nice to see Vogelsong making a strong case for himself early on. I remember watching him pitch late in the 2000 season and being impressed with his stuff. I followed his career in Pittsburgh and always hoped he’d make it, but he was derailed by injuries and was out of the Majors by 2007. He made a few stops in Japan and various minor league teams before finding his way back to the Giants this past winter, and I’d honestly forgotten all about him until I saw his name in the newspaper.

Personally, I’m rooting for Vogelsong. The Giants’ history over the past decade is littered with names of guys who were supposed to be the future of the team’s pitching staff: Kurt Ainsworth, Jerome Williams, Noah Lowry, Jesse Foppert, Erick Threets, etc. Up until this past January I would’ve included Vogelsong’s name on that list, but I’d be more than happy to erase it permanently. It’d be a great story if he could return to the team that drafted him, overcome his histories of injury and inconsistency, and contribute to the Giants’ World Series title defense.

Hide the sharp objects, Pirates fans.