With Omaha bleeding from his veins, Chris Sinacori has returned to the Sun Devils baseball coaching staff as a pitching coach for the 2003 season.
"All I know is Omaha, and that is all I want to know," he said.
Sinacori is no stranger to Omaha either, as he helped take the Sun Devils to the Championship game of the College World Series in 1998 in his first stint with the club. Since then, Sinacori departed the Sun Devils to serve as pitching coach and rehabilitation pitching coordinator in the Chicago White Sox minor league organization. He sites his reason for leaving ASU as a way to "explore some options."
"Initially I was going to the Diamondbacks to coach, possibly at the professional level," he said. "As soon as the word was out, a couple of other organizations came forward and I went to the White Sox."
Sinacori explained his choice based on job security. The Diamondbacks wanted him as a bullpen coach, but had that fallen through he might have been out of luck in their minor league system. With the White Sox he was guaranteed a minor league spot.
Four years later, he has returned to his Phoenix home, and is back to coach college ball because he enjoys the level of competition and ability to build relationships with players, something he didn't find in minor league baseball.
"Being back in college baseball is a great thing," Sinacori said. "You get more sense of team, and can get closer with the players. (In the minor leagues) you coach so many kids, and the turnover rate is so fast, you don't get that kind of relationship like with college."
Sinacori's college experience consists of two years at Tennessee and one year at Florida International. He said pitching during his collegiate time differs from today because everyone was just a "thrower." He's trying to teach the young kids how to turn from a thrower to a pitcher by hitting spots and using their strengths.
After working a month with the team, Sinacori has seen what ASU's bright young arms have to offer. He projects right handed junior pitcher Ryan Schroyer to be the guy they will count on, as Schroyer has showed signs of brilliance in his first two years as a Sun Devil. Schroyer, who started during his freshman year, filled in as an excellent closer most of last year. According to Sinacori, he will most likely be back in the starting rotation for 2003.
"We'll give him a lot more innings because we feel deep enough that we will still have quality pitchers late in the game," Sinacori said
Sinacori also expects to see great things out of senior right-handed transfers Beau Vaughn and Ben Thurmond. In addition, Sinacori said he will look to lean on seniors like right hander Robbie McClellan and left hander Bryce Kartler. However, ASU's pitching talent does not stop with upperclassmen. Youngsters such as left handers Erik Averill, Brett Bordes and Chris Beatty, as well as right handers Ryan Bosch and Erik Van Slyke, are freshman who could make an immediate impact on the squad.
"I'm looking for a couple of those guys to step up and contribute as freshman," Sinacori said.
As a professional, Sinacori spent seven years with the Los Angeles (1991-95), Toronto (1995), Florida (1996) and Arizona (1997) minor league organizations. He hopes his time spent at ASU will help prepare young pitchers to move on to bigger and better things.
"I hope to bring them a sense that they are prepared for any level, so they can go into pro ball and won't be intimidated," he said.
Whatever he does for the players, he still has the burning desire to play through mid June.
"My goal is to go to Omaha," Sinacori said. "I plan on Omaha being on the bottom of the schedule, as part of our schedule."
Reach the reporter at casey.pritchard@asu.edu.
