Quickly developing Stauffer could be next for Padres' rotation

By: GREG BALL - Staff Writer | Thursday, March 24, 2005 11:21 PM PST ∞

PEORIA, Ariz. ---- A year ago, Tim Stauffer was a pitcher with shoulder troubles who hadn't thrown in a professional game and was packing his bags for an assignment to Single-A Lake Elsinore.

After a debut season in which he not only quieted doubts about his health, but also opened some eyes with his pitching, Stauffer could be a key piece of the Padres' puzzle in 2005.

Although Stauffer is slated to start the season with Triple-A Portland, the Padres' first-round pick in the 2003 draft is the club's first choice to fill in should a spot become open in the starting rotation.

"We're going to go with who we think our best pitcher is. Right now, I'd say yes, he is our No. 1 guy," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday, 11 days before the Padres open their season.

That's a prospect that excites Stauffer, but doesn't make the cerebral young right-hander apprehensive.

"If it comes to a point where they need somebody, I hope I'm pitching well," Stauffer said. "I think they've seen me a little more this spring than they have in the past, so I've shown them what I can do."

Stauffer could factor into the Padres' plans if the rotation falters anywhere along the line.

While Woody Williams, Adam Eaton, Jake Peavy and Brian Lawrence give the club a reliable 1-4 lineup, fifth starter Darrell May remains a significant question mark.

May, 32, never has won more than 10 games in the big leagues. Last year, he lost 19 games and had a 5.61 ERA with Kansas City. He has been inconsistent this spring ---- 0-1 with a 4.61 ERA and nine walks with six strikeouts ---- and essentially backed into the fifth starter's role because he has more big-league experience than Stauffer and Justin Germano, both just 22 years old.

With the Los Angeles Dodgers looking shaky and the San Francisco Giants possibly missing Barry Bonds for half the season, the Padres could be the front-runners in the National League West. They won't be able to afford to give away games because of an inconsistent No. 5 starter.

"I hate to go into the season with negative thoughts, but it's important to have depth," Bochy said, noting the presence of major-league veterans Steve Sparks and Dennys Reyes in the bullpen. "We think with the way Stauffer threw last year and the improvements he made, he'll keep going up.

"With him and Germano and Sparks and Reyes to make some spot starts, we feel like we have some depth in case something does happen."

Stauffer made the transformation from being a questionable draft pick to finding himself on the verge of a big-league call-up look easy.

The right-hander out of the University of Richmond signed for significantly less than expected two summers ago after revealing he had a slight tear in his labrum. The injury caused him to sit out his first year as a pro.

Last year, though, Stauffer went 2-0 with a 1.78 ERA in six starts at Lake Elsinore and was in Double-A by mid May. He made eight good starts there and 14 more at Triple-A, and finished the season with a combined 11-5 record and a 2.89 ERA at the three levels.

"They figured once I proved my health, they were going to move me," Stauffer said. "It was a good feeling to be able to learn from all the different levels I was at. It was a big jump from Single-A to Double-A, and just as big a jump to Triple-A.

"I was successful because I was able to throw off-speed pitches for strikes and get ahead in the count. I tried to let batters put the ball in play rather than trying to strike guys out. If you do that, you can go deeper into games."

He averaged six innings per start in an organization that keeps a close eye on pitch counts.

At the end of his first professional season, Stauffer was named the Padres' co-Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Bochy was impressed with the maturity Stauffer showed just a year removed from college.

"He did a nice job at Triple-A, and he knows how to pitch," Bochy said. "He showed his composure out there and had good stuff. He's a No. 1 pick ---- obviously we think a lot of him."

Contact staff writer Greg Ball at (951) 676-4315, ext. 2629 or gball@nctimes.com.