The memories remain vivid, scribbled in Sharpie on the brain. Cooperstown has the bat he used to hit a home run in his first major-league start. His mantel features the rookie of the year trophy – an honor most figured would be recycled before won by a Rockie.
So it’s odd, if not a shame, that a story about Jason Jennings must begin with what he has not done. He has not posted a winning record since 2002, not developed into a staff ace.
When Jennings reports with pitchers and catchers to Tucson on Friday, embarking on his fifth full season, his sits at a career crossroads, his blinker flickering.
Will he turn into an elite starter, pitching the way it had been expected he would, or stumble through April in a prelude to a trade from the only organization he has known?
“You look at my rookie season, and my ERA was only a half-run lower than it was last year. The way I finished last season tells me the pitcher I can be,” said Jennings, who compiled a 2.25 ERA in his final four starts before suffering a season- ending broken finger July 20.
“I don’t know what the future holds,” he said. “I started this whole process as a Rockie, and I would like to be here when we finally turn this thing around.”
Even with his bloated résumé – he has a franchise-best 26 wins at Coors Field and last year won the first 1-0 game at the ballpark – his future is tenuous. Jennings will make $4.4 million this year with a club option for $5.5 million next season.
On a team with a $45 million payroll, Jennings must produce or he could be the next young starter to follow Shawn Chacon and Joe Kennedy out of town.
“It’s not something I think about it,” Jennings said.
Instead, his focus remains firmly on beginnings, not a potential end. Break down the numbers and Jennings has been remarkably consistent in his career, save for flawed Aprils. Jennings is 6-11 with a 6.32 ERA in April, compared with 43-32 with a 4.78 ERA in all other months.
“He plays uphill for those first six weeks,” former Rockies catcher Todd Greene said. “With a good start, he could easily win 15 games.”
Jennings has no explanation for his horrific Aprils, only that what he has done the past few winters clearly wasn’t working. So he adopted a core-centric workout routine – wringing out calories alongside Minnesota outfielder Torii Hunter and Detroit’s Craig Monroe. And he began throwing off a mound nearly a month earlier.
The regimen stabilized his shoulder and back – “That should help me avoid that tenderness and dead arm I go through every spring,” he said – and increased confidence already brimming from learning to use his sinker differently last season (outside to right-handers, inside to lefties).
With Jennings in mind, pitching coach Bob Apodaca will have Rockies starters throw every fourth day instead of fifth this spring, until they eclipse five innings.
“I think by stretching him out,” Apodaca said, “it could set the tone for the whole year.”
When manager Clint Hurdle gets the nucleus of his club together at spring training to address critical issues, Jennings will be among those in attendance. Hurdle, encouraged by the veteran’s offseason commitment, is considering Jennings for the opening-day assignment, along with Aaron Cook.
“Jason really wants to take on that leadership role,” Hurdle said. “He wants to be on the mound for the tough game. His workouts speak volumes about what his plans are for this season.”
Jennings, after all, does want to live forever in a few snapshots. The mental scrapbook needs new memories.
“It’s been a long winter,” Jennings said. “I have never been more ready to get going again.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
