Brewers pitching preview: Parra, Villanueva find themselves in the rotation
Parra, Villanueva among the survivors of spring pruning.
PHOENIX -- What do Spiderman and a cheerleader have in common?
Both will be in the starting rotation for the Milwaukee Brewers on Opening Day.
When the Brewers announced their starting five-man pitching rotation on Tuesday, both right-hander Carlos Villanueva -- a.k.a. Spiderman -- and left-hander Manny Parra -- whose cheerleading costume was the hit of the Brewers' rookie dress-up day last season -- were included.
With eight pitchers vying for a spot in the rotation at the beginning of spring training, it was thought that either Parra, Villanueva or both could open the season in the bullpen or in Nashville, with the organization's Triple-A club.
Instead, both players will be opening the season on the big-league roster.
Yost said he was pleasantly surprised at how Parra, who will be the No. 5 starter, pitched this spring.
"Manny wasn't on the team," Yost said. "He wasn't on my list at the beginning of spring training. I just thought he could benefit from going back to Triple-A. He had a great spring and pitched his way on the team."
While Villanueva's status was thought to be a little clearer -- pitching coach Mike Maddux called him "the MVP of the pitching staff last year" -- he thought he also might be slated for an early-season trip to Nashville.
Villanueva, who will be the No. 4 starter, was 8-5 with a 3.86 ERA while serving as both a starter and a reliever last season. When ace Ben Sheets went down with a season-ending injury, Villanueva went 2-2 with a 1.99 ERA as a member of the starting rotation in September.
"There are a lot of different scenarios that could come into play for Carlos," Yost said at the beginning of spring training. "He also has a minor league option but he was so valuable to us out of the bullpen last year. He also deserved to be considered for a starting role after what he did for us in September."
Parra and Villaneuva made the cut in part because the starting pitching herd was culled a bit as spring training progressed.
First, right-hander Yovani Gallardo sustained a knee injury early in camp and underwent surgery to repair torn meniscus tissue. Then left-hander and former All-Star Chris Capuano sustained a torn ligament in his pitching elbow. He is expected to undergo "Tommy John" surgery for the second time in his career and miss the 2008 season.
However, when Milwaukee cut veteran pitcher Claudio Vargas on Tuesday, both Parra and Villanueva could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"When we analyzed it, we had five starting pitchers we felt were better," Melvin said after the Brewers released Vargas, in part to save nearly $3 million in salary.
Team players
Parra, who came into camp knowing he could be headed for another round of seasoning at Nashville, started off strong before struggling in his last two appearances.
"Last year was an amazing year for me except for the broken thumb at the end of the season," said Parra, who was injured while attempting to lay down a sacrifice bunt. "I couldn't have pitched any better. There was no outing where I went out there and lost it."
Parra, 25, was named the Brewers' minor league Pitcher of the Year after he went a combined 10-4 with a 2.45 ERA in 17 starts between Double-A Huntsville and Triple-A Nashville. He tossed a perfect game in his second start at Nashville and went on to post an 0-1 record with a 3.76 ERA in nine appearances in Milwaukee.
"The best thing was the perfect game more than anything because you just don't ever expect that to happen," he said. "I did expect to get to the big leagues. Being in the big leagues for me was just a dream come true.
"I started thinking when I went through my injuries and surgery, was this ever going to happen? It makes you appreciate the amount of time I had up there last year and the chance I got to pick some guys' brains and enjoy it."
Yet Parra was a realist when it came to his chances to break camp with the team.
"I'm the only unproven player so I know where I stand and that's fine," said Parra, who also was vulnerable because he still has minor league options, allowing him to be sent down without needing to clear waivers. "You just control what you can control."
That philosophy served him well when he underwent his rookie initiation last season.
"On dress-up day, I got the worst outfit, the cheerleading costume, which was extremely embarrassing -- which was the whole point," said Parra, who had to wear it on a return flight from a road trip. "You've just got to do it. It's all in good fun."
Villanueva, who had to undergo the same ritual two years in a row, agreed.
"It's fun. You feel part of the team. Last year, I had a Spiderman costume. The first year I was a pink hippo," he said with a chuckle. "Last year, they didn't want to dress me up but they had to because I didn't have a full year in the big leagues with the team. So they gave me an easy one. So I was Spiderman. It wasn't bad. It was fun."
Maddux said Villanueva is a pitching coach's dream because the 24-year-old, viewed as the staff's jack-of-all-trades last season, did what was best for the team even if it wasn't best for him.
"He has the pitches to start and he has the stuff to come out of the bullpen. He also is resilient enough to go on back-to-back days," Maddux said. "He really can do it all."
Villanueva admitted it was a difficult spot in which to be. But he said he would do what was best for the club, which could mean ending up back in the bullpen when Gallardo is activated off the disabled list in mid-April.
But Villanueva knows what is at stake.
"We have the depth on the team to win a championship," he said. "You have to have guys in waiting, ready for their chance to help the team."
