Deseret News Feature Article on Guthrie

The Deseret News just featured a very interesting article on Guthrie:

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,665192847,00.html


Ace in the hole — Ex-BYU pitcher Guthrie flying high for the Orioles

By Jeff Call
Deseret Morning News

Based on his one-year pitching stint at BYU, Jeremy Guthrie wasn't sure what would become of his baseball career.
Mark Avery, Associated PressFormer BYU and current Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels earlier this month. After an up-and-down freshman season in Provo in 1998, Guthrie departed for an LDS mission to Spain. Few returned missionaries wind up in the major leagues, so the odds were stacked against him.

But look at Guthrie now.

Nearly 10 years after wearing a Cougar uniform, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-hander is part of the Baltimore Orioles' starting rotation and has been a bright spot on a club that desperately needed a solid arm.

Guthrie, who replaced injured starter Jaret Wright in the rotation on May 8, owns a glossy 3-1 record and a 2.70 earned run average. In his most recent start last Saturday, he recorded a no-decision against the Colorado Rockies after surrendering only two runs in eight innings in a 3-2 setback.

Not bad for a guy whose ERA entering the 2007 season, hovered over six.

No wonder, when asked about his current situation, Guthrie told the Deseret Morning News recently, "I didn't expect my career to turn out like it has."

After being released last winter by the Cleveland Indians, the team that made him a first-round draft pick in 2002, Guthrie was acquired by the Orioles as a waiver claim. Guthrie played well during spring training, then struggled in relief earlier this season. But since becoming a starter, he has made the most of his opportunities.

In a victory over the Washington Nationals on May 19, for instance, he racked up 10 strikeouts. A week ago, Guthrie held one of the best teams in baseball, the Los Angeles Angels, to only one hit through the first seven innings but came away with a no-decision when Vladimir Guerrero crushed a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth off reliever Chris Ray.

Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo likes what he's seen from Guthrie, who has a fastball clocked in the mid-90s and an ability to sprinkle in off-speed stuff. Perlozzo is optimistic about Guthrie's prospects as a starter over the long term.
Mark Avery, Associated PressReleased by the Indians over the winter, Guthrie has posted a 3-1 record since joining the Orioles' starting rotation on May 8. "He's a little bit of an unknown still," Perlozzo told MLB.com, "but every time he goes out and does well, it's something for us to see. We'll just cross our fingers that what we're seeing is the real deal."

So far, Guthrie is happy about the way things are turning out in Baltimore.

"There are a lot of young pitchers here. It's great to be a part of that," Guthrie said. "It's a good place to be and a fun team to be on."

In Baltimore, he's under the tutelage of renowned pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who was credited with developing pitchers like Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine when he was with the Atlanta Braves.

"It's a great chance to learn from Leo Mazzone. He's built a lot of confidence in me and you look at who he's worked with during his career," Guthrie said. "It's a perfect situation for me."

Before landing in this perfect situation, though, Guthrie has experienced some rough times since graduating from high school in Ashland, Ore., and arriving in Provo.

Guthrie said his freshman year at BYU was difficult. He finished with a mediocre 5-4 record and an ERA of 6.54. In 64.2 innings, he gave up 15 home runs, walked 42 and struck out 52 for the Cougars, who finished with a 29-24 mark in 1998.

"I was burned out in baseball by the time I got to BYU. I had been playing a lot of baseball year-round," he said. "I started well at BYU, but I struggled those last two months. It was frustrating because I didn't pitch very well. But my overall experience at BYU was great."

Guthrie's best memory of BYU? Meeting his wife, Jenny. They married after his mission, and the couple has two children, a daughter, Avery, 3, and a son, Hudson, 7 months. In the off-season, the Guthries live in Pleasant Grove, where they own a home.
Bob Noel, who was the Cougars' pitching coach in 1998, saw potential in Guthrie. "He had the tools and the mental makeup (to be a big league pitcher)," Noel recalled. "He had a great arm, he was a hard worker and he was a perfectionist. He did an outstanding job for us. Jeremy's a great young man, and I'm proud of what he's done. It's good to see him having success."

During his mission, Guthrie's high school coach and his dad looked into the possibility of him transferring to Stanford. Guthrie filled out an application. After returning from his mission, it wasn't until a week before classes started that Guthrie decided to enroll at Stanford as a walk-on.

"My reasons for transferring were 90 percent for education, 10 percent baseball. At that point, I was looking at my education. Baseball allowed me to get into the school. I probably wouldn't have gotten into Stanford as a general student."

Of course, Noel would have liked to see Guthrie return to BYU. "I wasn't surprised as much as I was disappointed," he said. "It's not often that BYU gets a quality pitcher like him. He was an unknown quantity when he came to BYU. After his freshman year, everybody knew about him."

At Stanford, Guthrie became one of the nation's top collegiate pitchers and was selected in the third round of the 2001 Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Given what the Pirates were offering him, he opted to remain at Stanford. The following year, he was selected in the first round, No. 22 overall, by the Indians.

Like most players, Guthrie found the road bumpy in the minor leagues, as coaches tinkered with his delivery. "The changes made slowed me down in the long run," he said. "It threw my rhythm off, and it took me a year to get it back."

Guthrie made his major league debut in 2004 and enjoyed a couple of stints at that level. In 2006, he recorded a 9-5 record at Triple-A Buffalo, posting a 3.14 earned run average, good for sixth-best in the International League. He was called up by the Indians and pitched mostly out of the bullpen. Following the season, he played winter ball in the Dominican Republic and pitched well.

However, with no room on its roster for starting pitchers, Cleveland decided to release Guthrie over the winter. "My release was based on circumstance, not performance," he says. "Cleveland was going to have all five starters back. It was unlikely that I'd make the team. I anticipated being released. I was excited when it happened after the way I pitched in winter ball."

The Orioles picked up Guthrie, and it's worked out well for both parties. Earlier this season, Guthrie told MLB.com: "You love to see hard work translate into some success on the field. I just feel really blessed the way things are going. When you've been through enough struggles, you realize that on your own, you can't do everything. So it's real nice to know there's some help from above in all the things that are going on right now."

Guthrie is not necessarily surprised by the way he's throwing. "The way I'm pitching this year is like I pitched last year for the most part," he said.

"It's just that the numbers didn't show it."

Guthrie said serving a mission has had a "tremendous" effect on his career. "My beliefs are deeper and stronger than they were before my mission. There are situations that aren't conducive to the spirit, so it's good to have that foundation," he said.

He added that he is frequently asked questions about his religion and his beliefs, especially by other players. "It's fun to share my testimony and belief with others who are interested," he said.

To this point, one of Guthrie's greatest thrills in the big leagues has been pitching the last two innings of a 22-0 rout of the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in 2004. It marked the Yanks' most lopsided loss in their storied, 102-year history.

Another thrill came last month, when he pitched at Fenway Park on Mother's Day. Guthrie tossed 8 1/3 innings and didn't give up an earned run against the Red Sox but was saddled with another no-decision.

"Those were my two most exciting, memorable moments," Guthrie said. "Those were experiences you can't describe."

While he can, the former Cougar is looking to make more memorable moments with the Orioles.