Pirates pitcher sees trade as an opportunity

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Pirates pitcher Ross Ohlendorf listens to a fan on Tuesday during the Pirates Caravan stop at The Galleria in Richland. John Rucosky

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January 21, 2009

BY MIKE MASTOVICH The Tribune-Democrat Thu Jan 22, 2009, 12:00 AM EST

There was a time when Ross Ohlendorf had thoughts of taking the mound for the last game in the illustrious history of Yankee Stadium.

If that didn’t work out, perhaps, the big right-hander thought, he might get a shot at throwing in the first game played in the Yankees’ new stadium.

The July 26 trade that brought Ohlendorf to the Pittsburgh Pirates served as a wake-up call, courtesy of the business of baseball. The 6-foot-4 former Princeton University standout joined the Bucs along with Jeff Karstens, Jose Tabat and Daniel McCutcheon in a high-profile deal that sent Pirates slugger Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte to the Yanks.

“I had heard three days before hand that I might get traded over here but I really didn’t read much on it,” Ohlendorf said during Tuesday’s Pirates Caravan appearance at the Galleria in Richland Township. “The first time I got traded (from Arizona to the Yankees for Randy Johnson in 2006), it was in the offseason and I read a lot on-line about the chance of getting traded and who might be traded for Randy Johnson. This time I heard about it but I didn’t read much about it.”

Eventually, Ohlendorf officially learned of the transaction from Yankees management.

“It was a mixed reaction,” Ohlendorf said. “I was hoping to pitch in the final game in Yankee Stadium or the first game in the new stadium. But the opportunity for me here is really good. The chance to get to start, which is what I really want to do, if nothing else, makes it a good trade for me.

“Looking back at it now, I’m glad that it happened.”

Ohlendorf had been considered a Yankees prospect – a 2004 fourth-round draft pick who burst onto the scene in the Diamondbacks organization with a fastball once clocked at 98 miles an hour. As he matured, Ohlendorf took off some velocity in exchange for better control as well as an effective change-up and curve.

Only the third major leaguer from Princeton at the time of his 2007 debut with the Yankees, Ohlendorf was projected as a starter but later moved to the bullpen.

Last season he went 1-1 with a 6.53 ERA in 25 relief appearances with New York prior to the trade. Once in the Pirates system, Ohlendorf won four games in seven starts with Class AAA Indianapolis, then had five starts with the big club after the rosters expanded in September.

He went 0-3 on a team that stumbled through the home stretch after losing sluggers Nady and Jason Bay at the trade deadline.

“When we came here (with the Yankees) and played, the Pirates had a great offense,” Ohlendorf said, referring to a June inter-league series at PNC Park.

Ohlendorf, 26, has reacquainted himself to the Bucs’ new pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, who worked with four organizations, including with the Yankees as a bullpen coach the past four seasons.

“I’ve had Joe Kerrigan in New York,” Ohlendorf said. “I like him a lot. Joe likes to watch film more and learn about the hitters’ weakness and focus on that. It’s a balance between pitching to your strength and the hitter’s weakness. He’s also already helped me with mechanics. I think that it’s a really good opportunity for me to get with this group of coaches and this group of pitchers.”

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