PEORIA, Ariz. _ Cal Quantrill has shown the willingness and prowess to pitch whenever and wherever.
"Sometimes I can be too prideful and say I want to be a starter, I want to be an All-Star," Quantrill said. "In the end, the best teammate you can be and best player you can be is taking whatever role you're given at that time and trying to dominate it."
As if what he did last season, pitching effectively as a starter and out of the bullpen, wasn't enough to demonstrate his ability to go with the flow, Quantrill this spring has been given some curveballs to deal with.
One of the Padres' most eloquent pitchers, a Stanford man, Quantrill has to pause to think when asked to explain what it has been like to endure some unfortunate luck the past few weeks.
"Avoiding swear words is hard," Quantrill said after a few seconds.
The young right-hander with something to prove started throwing earlier in the offseason and came to camp ready to pitch. He was rewarded for his preparation by being named the starter for the Padres' first exhibition game.
"I felt so good," Quantrill said. "I came into spring in about as good a spot as I've ever been. I was excited to start early. I was looking at it as an advantage, more opportunity to be ready for the season."
The Feb. 22 opener was rained out.
Quantrill, 25, made his start two days later, allowing one run in two innings with help from an apparent third out being dropped in foul territory.
But before his next scheduled start, he fell ill with a stomach bug that kept him in bed for two days and decimated his strength for another couple beyond that.
He pitched in relief March 5 (10 days after his debut) and struck out two in two perfect innings, actually throwing a tick harder (94 mph) and locating his fastball and change-up better than he did in his debut.
With the Padres scheduled to play split-squad games Wednesday night, Dinelson Lamet will start at home against the Mariners while Quantrill starts in Mesa against the Cubs. (Rain is in the forecast, meaning Quantrill's quest could again be delayed.)
There was a time when the concern would be his time missed would put him behind. But his performance in his last outing and subsequent bullpen work has the Padres believing he can be stretched out enough to begin the season as a starter, if necessary.
Whether it will be necessary has become a slightly more pertinent question with Joey Lucchesi lasting just two-thirds of an inning while allowing four runs Saturday. Lucchesi had a less severe bout with flu-like symptoms this spring, which manager Jayce Tingler said may have contributed to his diminished fastball velocity and overall sluggishness in his last outing.
The fifth starter spot is likely still Lucchesi's to lose, though Quantrill appears in a better position to win it than he was a week ago.
"It's very consistent with how we opened up camp," Tingler said. "That spot is very open right now."
Quantrill made his major league debut May 1, allowing the Braves two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He posted a 5.83 ERA over his first six starts, with a trip to the minors in the midst of them, and was sent to the bullpen in mid-June. He allowed one run on four hits before starting again July 3. That shaky outing (three runs in 4 1/3 innings) against the Giants was followed by six shutout innings against the Braves on July 12 that commenced a stretch of seven games (six starts) in which Quantrill posted a 1.79 ERA and 0.78 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) in 40 1/3 innings.
The fastball command that served him exceptionally well through his month-plus of success then waned as he allowed eight runs in each of his next three starts and then four runs in a three-inning outing against the Rockies in Denver before finishing the season by surrendering a lone run on two hits in five innings against the Diamondbacks.
Much of the talk internally this spring has been about the value Quantrill provides as a "swing" man who can provide multiple innings out of the bullpen and provide an emergency start.
With eight pitchers in the bullpen and five days off in April, however, it's possible Quantrill could begin the season in Triple-A as a starter. (That scenario was characterized as unlikely by a member of the personnel department.) The decision regarding Quantrill could be partially dependent on whether Luis Perdomo and other relievers continue to perform as well as they have and whether Jose Castillo is ready for the start of the season.
In a realm where pitchers generally say something along the lines of "whatever the team needs me to do" there is an earnestness about how Quantrill says it.
"It's not that I don't want to be a starter," he said. "It's not that I don't think I can go nine innings every day. It's just that at this time the best thing I can do to help this team win is be whatever it is they ask me to be. ... I want to be the best starter I can be. But I think I've shown I can compete in any role they give me the ball."
