Jake Peavy (Photo Credit: Getty Images, By: David Banks)
Reporting David Schuster
By David Schuster-
GLENDALE, Ariz. (CBS) – In order for the White Sox to make any noise this upcoming season they will have to get major contributions from their starting pitching staff. All five guys will be counted on but none more so than Jake Peavy.
To say that Peavy has underperformed since he came to Chicago would be an understatement. In three seasons, he has compiled a record of 17-13 and has been more known for his injuries than anything else. That said, Peavy is optimistic going into the 2012 season.
“I’m healthy and as good as I can possibly be and we’ll see where that takes us,” he said Thursday as pitchers and catchers reported to Camelback Ranch. “This is the first time I have been like this in quite a few springs to come in here and not answer any injury questions. And those were questions I didn’t know how to answer because nobody had ever been through before what I was going through.”
Peavy knows high expectations will be placed on him but downplayed the pressure.
“I’m going to play a role and there’s no doubt about it but this is going to have to be a group effort,” he said. “We’re going to have to have some guys bounce back, including myself, but we also have some guys in here who have done big things at this level. So, if we do bounce back and get a team effort we can compete in this division.”
Since coming over to the White Sox, Peavy has had two major surgeries and he dearly wants to get back to the form that allowed him to win a Cy Young award in the National League with the San Diego Padres.
“I’m standing in front of you as healthy top-to-bottom as I’ve been in years,” Peavy said. “And I look forward to staying that way and never talk about this again and just talk about baseball on the field and winning games.”
Peavy said he hopes to make 30 starts this season and feels, if he does, he will make a major contribution on this team.
For more White Sox spring training coverage from Glendale, Ariz, click here. Find all of David Schuster’s spring training blogs here and follow him on Twitter (@schumouse).
