Tall expectations for Hirsh

6-foot-8 Jason Hirsh aims to win over fans, corral big awards

Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published February 13, 2007 at midnight

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Jason Hirsh knows the concerns of Rockies fans.

And he wants to assure them they can relax.

He knows Jason Jennings is with the Houston Astros.

But the Rockies did OK in that deal, said Hirsh, who came to the Rockies in the Jennings deal with fellow right-handed pitcher Taylor Buchholz and center fielder Willy Taveras.

"I know a lot of people are upset the Rockies lost Jennings," Hirsh said. "They want to know, 'Who are these kids?' If Taylor and I develop like I know we can and Willy plays the center field everyone expects, this could be a trade of one All-Star for three All- Stars."

The players' résumés have an upside.

Buchholz has fully recovered from surgery for a torn labrum, and he did a solid job last season as an Astros rookie. Acquired by Houston in the trade that sent Billy Wagner to Philadelphia, Buchholz will compete for a spot in the rotation but most likely will wind up working out of the bullpen in a late-innings role.

Taveras potentially adds a speed aspect to a Rockies lineup that has been missing a base-stealing threat, and he has shown he can play an above-average center field, which is critical at Coors Field.

Then there is Hirsh, who is coming off two successive seasons in which he was chosen Pitcher of the Year in the Double-A Texas League and in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.

And he's not shy about maintaining high expectations in the majors.

Given the awards he has won the past two years, does he expect to be the National League's Cy Young winner in 2007?

"Cy Young or Rookie of the Year, or both," he said without a hint of arrogance. "You have to aim high. Hopefully, I'll live up to those aims. Obviously, every team's goal is to win a World Series, and the same applies to me. I want to do my best, and if I do that . . . "

The past speaks well for -Hirsh's future. He went 13-2 with a 2.10 ERA for Triple-A Round Rock (Texas) last season, and in his final 12 starts before a mid-August call-up to the Astros, he was 12-0 with a 1.28 ERA.

In nine starts with the Astros he went 3-4 with a 6.04 ERA, but the attention-getter is he was 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA in his final six starts and the Astros went 4-2 in those games.

Hirsh was feeling good about himself by then. He believed he had pitched his way into a spot in the rotation for the Astros, who had signed him as a second-round draft choice out of California Lutheran University in 2002. Then he was sucker- punched.

The Astros were desperate for a veteran starter to help ease the loss of Andy Pettitte to the New York Yankees and the possible departure of Roger Clemens. They were talking with the Chicago White Sox and Rockies before finally making the deal with Colorado.

Hirsh had the same reaction as Rockies fans, who were upset about losing Jennings, the team's No. 1 draft choice in 1999.

"It was disheartening when I found out," Hirsh said. "I thought I was a key part of that organization for years to come. I knew everybody over there. I was raised (in pro ball) by the Astros. They drafted me. They gave me the opportunity for success. And then I was gone.

"Then I realized the business side of it, and I can't do anything about it."

So he focused on trying to get excited about the move, even if he knew Rockies fans weren't.

"I have a lot of pride, and what this has done is make me work real hard so when the (Rockies fans) see me they will realize they got a good deal," Hirsh said. "I realize I got a good deal. Colorado has young talent. We have a chance to develop together and be good for a long time together."

Not even Coors Field seems to curb his enthusiasm.

That stems from the lessons he learned from Round Rock pitching coach Burt Hooton, whose calling card in a successful major league career was a knuckle-curveball he refined while pitching for the old Boulder Collegians.

"(Hooton) taught us we had to learn to pitch, to learn to adjust," Hirsh said. "We have to learn to pitch to a park's strength. In Colorado, that means keeping the ball down. But, really, in any park the idea is to keep the ball down."

Hirsh's only experience with the Colorado altitude came during a bullpen session in Colorado Springs during the summer.

"I don't have a big breaking ball," he said. "Mine is a tighter slider. I'm not looking for a big hump in the pitch. I'm looking to change locations. I'm looking to go up and down in the zone with a four-seam and two-seam fastball.

"I'm a big guy (6-foot-8), so I count on my arm angle rather than pure movement."

He knows the Rockies have produced only one winning season since 1997 - they went 82-80 in 2000 - and that their only postseason appearance was as the National League wild card in 1995.

But he has played against many of the current Rockies in the minor leagues, "and that is a talented group."

Most of all, Hirsh knows that while he might have been the key player for the Rockies in the Jennings trade, he must earn his spot in the major league rotation.

"I am not one to back down from a challenge," he said. "If I was still in Houston, it would be the same thing. I'd have to prove myself there. I think it's going to be fun."

Scouting Jason Hirsh

• Position: Right- handed pitcher.

• Age: Turns 25 on Feb. 20.

• Height: 6-foot-8.

• Weight: 245 pounds.

• Drafted: Taken by Houston in the second round, 2003, out of California Lutheran.

• Résumé: Double-A Texas League Pitcher of the Year in 2005. Triple-A Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year in 2006. Starting pitcher for Team USA in 2006 Futures Game.

• Strengths: Athletic for his size. A polished pitcher. Fastball is 91 to 93 mph. Slider has a late break. Will throw a changeup in any count.

• Weaknesses: Will go to a four-seam fastball for velocity but loses movement. Has to be more trusting of his ability and pitch to his strengths.

ringolsbyt@RockyMountainNews.com

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