Linebrink set up for success
TUCSON, Ariz. -- A list of available pitchers hanging in the White Sox' clubhouse Tuesday had one very distinct reminder it's still spring training: a black line scribbled through the name Scott Linebrink.
The 31-year-old setup man who was signed in November as a free agent is the only major-league pitcher who has appeared in at least 70 regular-season games in each of the past four years.
A stiff back Monday afternoon pushed the seemingly always-available relief pitcher's scheduled appearance back a few days, but it isn't something Linebrink is worried about.
"It's probably something during the season I would have gone back out there," Linebrink said. "But at this point of the year, I'm feeling good and I've got a back-to-back outing coming later this weekend so we just didn't want to push it."
According to pitching coach Don Cooper, there's no reason to rush a guy with Linebrink's track record back for a spring-training game.
"He looks like he has a chance to make an impact for us," Cooper said. "I'd rather err on the side of caution right now and take today so hopefully he won't miss any time after this. The ends don't justify the means (to play him today)."
Linebrink made his biggest impact while setting up career saves leader Trevor Hoffman in San Diego from 2003 until a midseason trade to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007. He has a career 3.21 ERA and 30-16 record. In 2007, he appeared in 71 games -- 44 with the Padres, 27 with the Brewers -- with a 5-6 record and 3.71 ERA.
His long-term durability isn't as much about his spring-training routine as it is his year-round training.
"A lot has to do (with working out) even before you get to spring training," Linebrink said. "I started in November and I like to tell myself that the work I'm doing in November is preparing me to pitch in October. … Baseball now is a 12-month deal."
This spring, Linebrink has pitched 6¿ innings, allowing 8 hits with a 4.05 ERA. He is scheduled to be available for back-to-back outings Friday and Saturday.
Aside from being a dependable on-field presence, Linebrink, by all accounts from past teammates, is a clubhouse favorite and an all-around good guy. None of that matters to Cooper.
"That all sounds good, but I don't care about that," Cooper said. "We're looking for guys who can make an impact on the field. We've seen the guys who are good clubhouse guys. The bottom line is we need impact players and players that do the job on the field because all the stuff in the clubhouse really doesn't matter when push comes to shove. What happens on the field, that's what matters, and I think he'll get it done on the field."
Linebrink signed a four-year, $19 million contract in November after White Sox general manager Kenny Williams drove to his home an hour outside Austin, Texas, to make his pitch in person -- a good indication the organization is confident in what Linebrink will bring both on and off the field.
"It meant a lot. You bet," Linebrink said of Williams' in-person visit. "Anytime someone sits down with you face to face and has a conversation with you, that speaks volumes. Just for him willing to make that trip says a lot."
Come March 31 when the White Sox open the season at Cleveland, the plan for Linebrink is to repay the organization's off-season gesture with the same dependability and pitching prowess that has kept his name from being scratched too often in his career.