TUCSON — Jeff Francis’ left shoulder should come equipped with Google Alert. In a Rockies spring training lacking drama and with few roster battles, his health qualifies as breaking news.
The left-hander’s long road back to the big leagues became shorter Tuesday as he walked across the crisp green grass at Hi Corbett Field. His surgically repaired shoulder has responded well to every test, leaving him to answer the question posed by many Rockies fans: What is his primary goal this spring?
“I am looking to get my command back. My delivery still feels a little foreign after the year off, so I am trying to get on the mound as much as I can,” Francis said as he leaned over a fence outside of the Rockies’ clubhouse on a sun-bleached 75-degree day. “Even if I am not throwing full on, I will bring the catcher up to 50 feet to practice my motion. I need to get more comfortable with it.”
That’s why, for the first time in his life, the 29-year-old Francis spent nearly two weeks in the Dominican Republic prepping for spring training. He played catch in the warm weather. He threw side sessions. And he even fired all his pitches to teenage hitters, albeit with a screen on the mound for protection. Those watching saw a higher arm angle and improved velocity.
“My delivery just feels much stronger. It’s like the (surgery last spring) never happened,” said Francis, who last threw a pitch in a big- league game on Sept. 12, 2008. “I have to get the ball to the glove. That’s my game, move the ball all around the strike zone. I am not worried at all about getting hurt again.”
Francis, who has thrown off the mound at Hi Corbett with no issues, is a taller version of Tom Glavine. He can go Picasso, painting the corners with fastballs before mixing in a maddening changeup. But in 2008, with his shoulder aching, Francis lost his fastball.
The good news is that the Rockies aren’t expecting Francis to resume the ace role he held in 2007. That belongs to Ubaldo Jimenez. Francis will fill either the second or fourth slot, depending on how he progresses. Trainer Keith Dugger has told manager Jim Tracy that while Francis has some extra rest days built into his work schedule, if needed, he has no limitations.
“You may catch me with cotton in my ears early in spring training. I want to give him some opportunities to feel this out and get his feet underneath him,” Tracy said. “He’s coming in here to compete. He’s hungry.”
Francis is at a crossroads. He has a $7.5 million club option for next season that, if declined, would make him a free agent.
Starter Aaron Cook, who spent much of the winter as Francis’ throwing partner, has no doubt that Francis will make a successful return.
“He looks great. He’s determined,” Cook said. “I know how much it means to him to get back out and contribute.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
