DODGERS NOTEBOOK: L.A.'S STILL WAITING FOR MILLER TIME.Byline: Tony Jackson
Anthony (Antonio) Jackson, best known as Tony Jackson Staff Writer VERO BEACH Vero Beach (vēr`o), city (1990 pop. 17,350), seat of Indian River co., E Fla., on Indian River (a lagoon and part of the Intracoastal Waterway); founded c.1888, inc. 1919. , Fla. - There was a time, and it wasn't that long ago, when Greg Miller Greg David Miller (born November 3, 1984, in Orange, California) is a Major League Baseball pitching prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system. Greg was on the fast track to the majors in '03, but a shoulder injury in the spring of '04 slowed him. was considered the left-handed complement to Edwin Jackson Edwin Jackson (born September 9, 1983 in Neu-Ulm, Bavaria, West Germany) is a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and currently plays for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. , a white-hot pitching prospect with a boundless future in the Dodgers organization. But that was then and, two shoulder operations later, this is now. Miller's first surgery came late in spring training last year, after which he returned to camp with the full expectation that he would be pitching by mid-May. But he hasn't appeared in a game since, and he underwent a second procedure last month to shave a bone spur Bone spur Also called an osteophyte, it is an outgrowth or ridge that forms on a bone. Mentioned in: Cervical Disk Disease, Cervical Spondylosis bone spur off the shoulder. Miller is getting treatment daily in the minor-league clubhouse at Dodgertown, a lonely place when all you are doing is rehabilitating and the rest of the minor-league campers aren't scheduled to arrive for another week. ``The last couple of days have been good,'' player-development director Terry Collins said Saturday. ``His arm is getting stronger, and his range of motion is good. His spirits are great because he feels good again. He wants to pitch, and he wants to compete.'' Alas, Miller isn't expected to do that until at least June and possibly not until August, which is the final month of the minor-league season. And Collins points to that infamous prognosis of 11 months ago as evidence that all such predictions should be taken lightly. Collins said that, when Miller is ready to go, he'd prefer to send him to Double-A Jacksonville, but he will leave the final decision of which affiliate Miller will join to minor-league pitching coordinator Rick Honeycutt Meanwhile, as he plods his way through what might become a second consecutive lost season, Miller can take comfort in the words of Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta Paul DePodesta (born December 16, 1972) is baseball front-office assistant for the San Diego Padres. He has also served as general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from February 16, 2004 to October 29, 2005. , who says the organizational brass' hopes for Miller are as high as they were before the trouble began. ``At this point, the most important thing is just to get him back to being healthy,'' DePodesta said. ``Once he does that, his talent will take care of the rest.'' --Grapefruit plans: One day after saying the Dodgers probably will stage an intrasquad game Tuesday before opening Grapefruit League play with Florida on Wednesday, Dodgers manager Jim Tracy
Tracy attributed the change in plans to the fact there are only 26 pitchers in camp, the fact five of them are either rehabbing from surgery or hampered by minor injuries, and the fact he plans to use at least six pitchers against the Marlins. Meanwhile, Tracy announced that non-roster invitee A non-roster invitee in baseball, also known as a NRI, is a player invited to participate in a particular Major League team's spring training without having a spot on that team's 40-man roster. Scott Erickson Erickson began his professional career in 1989 when he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the amateur draft. will start against the Marlins and be followed by Wilson Alvarez, Joel Hanrahan, Franquelis Osoria and non-roster pitchers Buddy Carlyle and Aquilino Lopez. Jeff Weaver will start Thursday against Atlanta, followed by Duaner Sanchez, D.J. Houlton, Derek Thompson, Yhency Brazoban and Ryan Rupe. Derek Lowe will start Friday at Atlanta with Kazuhisa Ishii to follow, and Jackson will start Saturday at the New York Mets
``In this early part of the spring, innings aren't important, but the number of pitches are,'' Tracy said. ``I might even lift a guy in the middle of (an at-bat).'' --Late arrival: Third baseman Norihiro Nakamura, a non-roster invitee who ran into visa problems in his native Japan, is expected to arrive in camp Tuesday night and begin working out Wednesday. ``It will take a few more days before we involve him in any exhibition games,'' said Tracy, adding that Nakamura is arriving early enough that his tardiness Tardiness Dagwood comic strip character; chronically late at the office. [Comics: “Blondie” in Horn, 118] ten o’clock scholar schoolboy who habitually arrives late. [Nurs. won't diminish his chances of making the club. A star-caliber player during 13 seasons with the Kintetsu Buffaloes, Nakamura is trying to earn a spot as a backup infielder. Acey Kohrogi, the Dodgers' director of Asian operations, said Nakamura was able to secure a P-1 visa, which is reserved for ``exceptional athletes or entertainers.'' Tony Jackson,(818) 713-3675 tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Scott Erickson, trying to make the roster as the Dodgers' fifth starter, will start Wednesday's exhibition opener against the Marlins. Richard Drew/Associated Press |
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