Lefty pair start up ladder with Phils

02/28/2006
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- If the next dozen or so years work out the way folks in Philadelphia are hoping they will, people won't remember Jim Thome much. Sure, the lumbering slugger will have his place in Phillies history, but it would be a speck compared to the spot that Gio Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood will have carved out.
At least that's the Nostradamus version: two great southpaws ride into the City of Brotherly Love, helping pitch the Phillies to division title after division title, forever linking them together in the city's lore.
Sounds pretty dramatic, huh? Well, whether it works out that way in the long run remains to be seen. After all, both pitchers figure to start the season in the Minor Leagues, Gonzalez in Double-A Reading and Haigwood at Triple-A Scranton. But this apparent odd couple that general manager Pat Gillick imported from Chicago back in November does figure prominently in the club's future, so much so that there is a good chance these two will be racking up wins long after Thome has hung up his cleats.
"We talk about that once in a while," said Gonzalez, a 20-year-old flamethrower from the Miami suburb of Hialeah. "We're like 'Wow! Jim Thome. We got traded for him.' To say that you got traded for him is an honor. It was a big surprise when the trade happened. I thought it was a prank that I got traded for Jim Thome. Getting traded for a franchise player is a big shock.
"But me, Haigwood and [outfielder Aaron] Rowand [the third player the Phillies received in the deal] will help carry on for the Phillies. Remember, though, it's just a game. And as long as it's a game, that other stuff doesn't matter. I'm just happy to be playing."
If Gonzalez and Haigwood pitch the way they did while coming up through the White Sox system, the Phillies will be plenty happy, too. The pair combined to go 27-9 last year, posting a 2.82 ERA in 50 games (47 starts), striking out 323 in 274 2/3 innings that were spread out over two levels of A-ball (Kannapolis and Winston-Salem) plus Double-A Birmingham. The opposition hit just .215 off the pair, leaving many in baseball thinking that this deal could be the biggest steal of the offseason this side of Andre Ethier going to Dodgers in the Milton Bradley trade.
"There's probably a little pressure on us," said Haigwood, a 22-year-old control pitcher from the tiny town of Pleasant Plains, Ark. "But there are always expectations when you get traded. You're pretty much starting over. You have a reputation but you also have to keep doing what you've been doing. But I met a lot of people here so far and everyone has been very nice. The transition has been much easier than I thought it would be."
Both players said they were surprised by the deal, but understand why the White Sox made the move. There was some question as to whether Paul Konerko would be back, and with Frank Thomas on the way out, Chicago needed a big bat, and Thome, surgically repaired elbow and recent back problems in tow, fit the bill.
So, proving Chicago general manager Kenny Williams wrong isn't either pitcher's motivation as the pair embarks on their first season with a new organization. They're too focused on making a positive impression this spring, and will get the chance on Saturday when both are scheduled to make their first appearances against Toronto in a split-squad game at Dunedin.
"It was a business deal," said Haigwood, whose combined record as a pro and as a prep star at Midland High is an astonishing 75-12. "There are no hard feelings."
Now this small-town guy and the big-city kid move forward. Gonzalez is the splashier of the two, coming from the suburbs of south Florida. When told that the population of Haigwood's hometown was 267, he laughed.
"I have 250 people showing up at my house," he said. "But it shows in the kind of person he is. They have great people there. And we've clicked since we came here. We go out and eat and spend some time with each other. He helps me and I help him. I support him as much as he supports me."
The pair played together for about two weeks last season in Winston-Salem before Haigwood got bumped up to Birmingham. They also shared a clubhouse for a few weeks at the end of the 2004 season in Kannapolis. While it doesn't appear likely that they'll start the season together this year, both are hopeful they'll end it together in Philadelphia.
"We just have to come here every day and do what we do," Haigwood said. "Let people say whatever they're going to say about me and Gio. But we're always going to be linked together. And hopefully we'll both have long careers in the big leagues."

Source: http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/