Every fifth day in the clubhouse of the Triple A Fresno Grizzlies, before righthander Jason Grilli takes the mound, his pitching coach offers a reminder. He is 22, a former standout at Seton Hall, and has a 96-mph fastball and one of Triple A's best sinkers. He is a likely September call-up to the Giants. Everyone wants to see home runs, and everyone wants to see the 15 strikeouts, but the pitcher who survives is the one who gets a lot of grounders to second. Of the 11 pitchers on the U.S. Futures Game roster, seven averaged more than a strikeout per inning.
Strikeouts look great, and they feel great.
But if it's between striking out 10 guys and having all pop outs and grounders, we should be smart enough to go for easy outs. I want my career to last. Penny, too, who probably would not have played with the Diamondbacks until 2000, will probably appear for the Marlins this year. It's been a long road. Anderson is 20.