Is MacDougal key to the Sox' pen?
TUCSON, Ariz. -- If Mike MacDougal pitched like he was supposed to last season, the White Sox could have saved the $19 million they invested in Scott Linebrink during the winter.
Or, maybe the Sox could have saved the $11 million they spent on Octavio Dotel.
"This is major-league baseball,'' White Sox general manager Kenny Williams said. "If you don't get the desired results, you have to look at the alternatives.''
Linebrink and Dotel are battle-tested relief pitchers, and they'll move into MacDougal's setup role this season.
As for MacDougal, he still has an intriguing arm, and the Sox are hoping the lanky right-hander bounces back from a miserable season (2-5, 6.80 ERA) in 2007.
"Last year was last year,'' MacDougal said. "I'm not really dwelling on it too much. I'm just trying to look ahead to this year. I know they brought some other guys in and on paper, it looks like we're going to have a good bullpen.''
There is little doubt Linebrink and Dotel are both major upgrades. But manager Ozzie Guillen said MacDougal needs to pitch like he did in 2006 (1-1, 1.80 ERA) if the White Sox want to be contenders.
"He's a big key for us,'' Guillen said. "I'm not an easy guy to give up on my players. He has filthy stuff. Everything is there. If this kid is right, the bullpen will be fun to watch.''
In his first two Cactus League outings, MacDougal looked a lot like he did last season, but in his last two outings, he has pitched 1 scoreless inning each time.
"He's needed that,'' Guillen said. "With Mac, it's all about confidence. I think he lost his confidence last year. I don't think he believed what he has. I've seen a couple players in the American League and I asked them about him. They don't really want to face him.
"And I got a few at-bats in the big leagues and I know what is good and what is bad. This kid has some filthy stuff and last year he didn't have the year we expected him to. Hopefully, this year he bounces back and does what we expect him to do.''
Guillen has been trying to boost MacDougal's self-esteem since the early days of training camp.
"I've heard what he's been saying, and I appreciate it,'' MacDougal said. "Confidence in this game is huge, especially when you're a relief pitcher. Everything goes better when you have your confidence.''
MacDougal seems to have gained some confidence from his last 2 relief appearances, but he said his fastball still needs some work before the regular season opens.
"I've had really good command so far with my slider and cutter,'' MacDougal said. "Now, it's just a matter of locating the fastball. Most guys need to work on their other pitches during spring training, but for me, it's the fastball. I'm happy with the way it's starting to come around.''