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02/21/2004 6:42 PM ET
Notes: Valdez impresses early
Schmidt reports no problems with elbow after throwing
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By Rich Draper / MLB.com |
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| Rookie right-hander Merkin Valdez throws at Giants camp on Saturday. (Rich Draper/MLB.com)
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Pierzynski relishes fresh challenge
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- If the latest Giants "kid" was nervous or excited or had a devil-may-care attitude, it didn't show on 22-year-old rookie Merkin Valdez's implacable face.
There he was, in front of manager Felipe Alou and all the coaches Saturday at Indian School Park, throwing lightning-quick fastballs with unerring accuracy -- except for the initial offering that sailed high into a screen -- and authority.
From all indications, he's gonna be a Spring Training phenom in the mold of Jesse Foppert a year ago. Hot stuff. The San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, native was tabbed San Francisco's organizational Player of the Year by USA Today in 2003 after a brilliant season at Single-A Hagerstown, where he led the South Atlantic League with 166 strikeouts and was second with a 2.25 ERA.
Alou's eyes light up when he talks about the youngster, acquired with Damian Moss from Atlanta in the swap for Russ Ortiz on Dec. 17, 2002.
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