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By VAN ROSE vrose@leader.net
Tuesday, March 18, 2003 Page: 1B
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Eric Junge put up impressive numbers during his major
league pitching debut with the Phillies last September. The 6-foot-5
right-hander was 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA, including a victory over Atlanta.
Junge was ecstatic over his success and hoped it would serve as a
springboard into the 2003 season.
So far, it hasn’t.
Junge, 26, began spring training with the Phillies, hopeful of winning a
spot on Philadelphia’s opening-day roster. But after just four outings, Junge
already has been demoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Junge is disappointed, but says he has no one but himself to blame.
“All four outings were in relief,” Junge says. “I pitched well in my first
outing, but I pitched extremely poor in the other three. It wasn’t a
mechanical thing, I just made some mental mistakes.”
Junge, who the Phillies obtained from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Omar
Daal trade in 2001, had a shaky 9.00 ERA in eight innings of spring work. He
was mad at himself after his demotion last Saturday, but plans to make the
most of his return to the Red Barons.
“I have two weeks to prepare for opening day in Scranton,” Junge says.
“I need to put myself in a game mode, and concentrate on developing a new
breaking pitch.”
Junge’s money pitches are his 90-mph fastball and a slider. Red Barons
pitching coach Mike Mason says Junge needs to expand his arsenal by adding a
change-up.
“Eric got a taste of the big leagues last year,” Mason says. “Now he
understands that some of the things he got away with in Triple-A don’t work in
the majors.
“There’s a certain humbling process that the big league provides. Once you
expand to pitching multiple innings, your weaknesses will be exposed.”
Junge relied heavily on his fastball last year, while posting a 12-6 record
at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, with a 3.54 ERA.
“Eric is never going to be a pinpoint contact guy,” Mason says. “He has
such a quality arm, he’s a standout at the Triple-A level. But he needs to
develop other quality pitches in order to stay in the majors.”
Even though the Phillies used Junge in relief, he will once again be a
starter for the Red Barons. Even so, Mason projects him as a long reliever or
closer with Philadelphia.
Junge said his September call-up to Philadelphia was not only a learning
experience, but also was a confidence builder. His most memorable outing was
on Sept. 24, when he pitched 4 2/3 in relief against the Braves and notched
his second victory.
“There is not that much difference between major league hitters and
Triple-A hitters,” Junge says. “There are some awfully good hitters at both
levels. However, the concentration level is much higher in the big leagues.”
Junge, who was 1-0 in the Arizona Fall League last year, is confident he
can duplicate his success in 2002 with the Red Barons. He just needs to
increase his arm strength.
“My arm isn’t ready yet,” Junge says. “It’s not as live as I would like
it to be.”
Junge is hopeful of a quick return to Philadelphia. He sees himself as the
first or second pitcher in line for a call-up.
“I think there’s an opportunity here for a young pitcher. The Phillies
aren’t afraid to call up young pitchers who can help them win.”
Meanwhile, Junge is excited about the prospect of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
making a fifth consecutive run to the International League playoffs.
“We lost some key veterans like (David) Doster and (P.J.) Forbes, but
we’ve added Kevin Sefcik,” Junge says. “We’ve also got a lot of talent
returning. Nick Punto, Eric Valent and Chase Utley are proven winners.”
Junge says he’s looking forward to playing again for manager Marc Bombard.
“He’s a players’ manager. I think the players respect him more than any
other team I’ve ever played on.”
Most important, Junge wants to win.
“If you lose all the time, the game’s not fun.”
Notes: There’s a good chance that Junge will be the Red Barons’ starter
when they open play at home on April 3 against Ottawa. The rotation also could
include Amaury Telemaco, Greg Kubes and Ken Pumphrey.
However, three projected starters will be missing – Ryan Madson, Bud Smith
and Josh Hancock. All three are nursing injuries and aren’t expected to join
the Red Barons until late April.