Jose Quintana has proved himself a master of handling the no-decision in his five seasons as a White Sox starting pitcher.
As bullpen collapses and a lack of run support contributed to 59 no-decisions since 2012, the left-hander always stayed composed when talking about his fortunes.
So it should be no surprise that as Quintana prepared for his first opening-day start Monday against the Tigers, he insisted another type of no-decision won't affect his focus either.
When the Sox kicked off their rebuilding project in December, most everyone wondered whether Quintana would still be in Sox gear in April, as he was Sunday during the last preseason workout of the spring at Guaranteed Rate Field. Most everyone will continue to wonder how long he'll stay this season as the Sox weigh offers for the highly valued 28-year-old against keeping him in the rebuild.
If Monday is indeed the beginning of the end of Quintana on the South Side, he plans to make the most of it.
"It's good to be here for another season," Quintana said. "I know there are rumors, but I just focus on doing my job. There's nothing I can do, just help my team when I can and that's it. Just play hard every time."
He put it another way when asked again about his uncertain future.
"My future is the present," he said.
It's that kind of confusing season for the rebuilding Sox. While many fans may be living for the future of prospects spending the next month or more at Triple-A Charlotte, the many veteran players left on the team must live in the present.
"I'll just say I'm kind of happy they're still here with us and they're going to be part of this club as we start," manager Rick Renteria said of his veterans. "Hopefully they're going to impact us in a positive way, as they have throughout their careers and in the spring. They've been really instrumental helping us formulate the attitude the club has taken on over the last six, seven weeks."
No one in the clubhouse is complaining about Quintana still being on the team.
A model of consistency, he has posted ERAs of 3.51, 3.32, 3.36 and 3.20 over the last four seasons. His innings count has climbed from 200 to 2001/3, 206 1/3 and 208 since 2013.
"You start to fall in love with him," Renteria said. "The more you watch him pitch, the more you see him work, it's really easy to fall in love with the things he's capable of doing. He's very calm-demeanored, very focused. All his preparations and outings are the same executing his task. (Opening Day) seems to fit him right now."
Despite pitching behind Chris Sale during his career with the Sox, Quintana has begun to receive recognition, with his first All-Star nod, a World Baseball Classic start and now an Opening-Day start in the last nine months.
"He deserved it for sure," right-hander Miguel Gonzalez said. "I'm happy to have him on my team. If I was a hitter, I wouldn't want to face him. He paints the corners really well and does a really good job. We have a pretty good staff, and we're excited (about) opening day."
Quintana, who will be paid $7 million this year and $8.85 million in 2018 with team options for 2019 and 2020, has said a few times he would like to stay with the Sox, the team that gave him his first shot in the big leagues. They're also making him only the second Colombian behind the Braves' Julio Teheran to make an Opening-Day start.
He said he can't wait for the honor.
"Being back home," Quintana said, "I'm really happy to be here again for a new season."
