By Thom Henninger
The first big league stint of Twins rookie Anthony Swarzak ended as it began: with seven scoreless innings against a 2008 National League playoff team, pitching before a noisy sellout crowd with loyalties split between the two clubs.
On May 23, the 23-year-old right-hander shut down a red-hot Brewers team, scattering five hits and holding them scoreless through seven innings of a 6-2 victory at the Metrodome. On Saturday, the rookie worked seven four-hit innings in a 2-0 blanking of the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Not only did Swarzak command his pitches successfully in his first and final starts, he demonstrated impressive poise. He pitched through “Let’s Go Brewers” chants in his debut in a very noisy building. At the Friendly Confines Saturday, cheers of “MVP” for Joe Mauer were among the loudest by fans that appeared to be evenly divided between the Twins and Cubs. Perhaps Swarzak felt more at home in his road start.
After Minnesota’s win in Chicago, veteran Michael Cuddyer tossed Swarzak the game ball. Moments after he placed it on a shelf in his Wrigley Field locker, Swarzak was called into manager Ron Gardenhire’s office and told he was headed back to Triple-A Rochester. In five starts with veteran starter Glen Perkins on the disabled list, the rookie was 2-2 with a 3.90 ERA.
Although Swarzak had been told his stay with the Twins would be brief, it had to be a shock to receive the news. Sure, Perkins is due back on Tuesday, but he had struggled throughout May and might have been sent to the bullpen. On the other hand, the Twins have two position players — Cuddyer and Denard Span — who are injured and not likely to go on the DL. To get another bat on the bench for the short term, it was Swarzak who was dealt the one-way ticket to Rochester to make room for catcher Jose Morales.
Just as it was hard to fathom Swarzak’s demotion, it’s equally difficult to predict what move the Twins will make when Cuddyer and Span are cleared to play. Cuddyer (finger) may be back as soon as Tuesday. Span’s status is less certain (dizziness), as he has felt ill from medication prescribed for an inner ear infection.
Right now, there are more questions than answers.
Will Swarzak return quickly, particularly if Perkins doesn’t fare well after missing four weeks? That would seem a reasonable option, as the left-hander could move to the pen. He did quite well as a rookie reliever in 2007. Not long ago, Francisco Liriano seemed like a candidate for a stint in Rochester to get himself straightened out, but he has worked back-to-back quality starts against Oakland and Seattle after pitching terribly through most of May. Doing well against the A’s and M’s isn’t exactly a sure sign of a turnaround, but the southpaw may have avoided a weekend demotion with his recent outings.
How will the demotion affect Swarzak’s performance? He wouldn’t be the first young player to do well in the majors, then struggle amid the disappointment of a demotion. It happens frequently when a prospect plays well in spring training but still goes to the minors when the season begins. Pro athletes are pushed to stay upbeat through good times and bad, but they’re human and experience the same emotional ups and downs we do. It’s worth noting that Swarzak was pitching very well for Rochester before his late-May promotion.
Does such a demotion risk having a negative effect on a young player’s career? A friend of a friend, who spent time in the minor leagues years ago and never made it to the majors, suggested that Swarzak could be affected long-term by the Twins’ decision. It may be messing with a kid’s mind a bit, but this writer isn’t so sure it should make much difference to someone like Swarzak, who showed the poise of a veteran in his brief stay with Minnesota.
Swarzak took the news well. Still, it will be interesting to see how he fares at Rochester, especially if his return trip to Minnesota doesn’t come soon.
