Ryan Sadowski, in 2009 (AP)
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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News
When Ryan Sadowski bid the U.S. adieu in early 2010 to spend the first of three seasons with the Lotte Giants in Korea, the likelihood of getting another chance to play in the MLB appeared as slim as the Miami native’s 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame.
He just may beat those odds. Now a mature 30, The Big Sadowski signed a minor-league contract with the other Giants in December and currently is participating in the major-league squad’s Spring Training, pitching batting practice and hoping for some gametime innings to show what he can do.
Sadowski’s MLB debut with San Francisco in 2009 was short and sweet, until it soured. In his first start, the University of Florida alum pitched six shutout innings as the Giants beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-0 (see box score). He delivered seven shutout innings in his second start, a 13-0 whipping of the Houston Astros (see box score). But Sadowski lost the next four games, was sent back down to AAA, and became a free agent that Fall. Just like that, his six-year sojourn through the Giants’ organization was over.
“All of sudden, I hit a rough spot and I really didn’t know how to deal with it,” Sadowski told MLB.com last week. “I went to Triple-A and didn’t pitch well. I was putting so much pressure on myself. I went to Korea and struggled my first two months there. I thought I was going to get released. Finally, I learned how to deal with pitching in front of 30,000 people and failing, which I had never done before. I settled down a little bit.”
Sadowski’s chances of staying with the Giants beyond Spring Training remain slim. According to MLB.com, the team has 37 pitchers at training camp and just one roster opening for a pitcher. But a strong performance with the Fresno Grizzlies (AAA) this Spring could pave Sadowski’s path back to the majors.
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