Rosenberg makes strides for Phillies

CLEARWATER, Fla. - When B.J. Rosenberg arrived at the Lakewood BlueClaws clubhouse and saw teenagers Anthony Gose and Jason Knapp fresh out of high school, he had an idea he was a little out of place.

Then the players started talking.

"Some guys would be talking about their girlfriends coming to town," Rosenberg said. "They asked, 'Do you have a girlfriend?' I said, 'I have a wife.' "

Rosenberg, now 24, was the only married player on the low single-A team. He also may have been the most experienced, having spent five years at the University of Louisville. And he pitched so well at Lakewood - compiling a 7-2 record with a 0.89 ERA and 19 saves in 37 appearances - that the Phillies bumped him up two levels in early August, to double-A Reading.

"Once I got there, I felt like that's where I needed to be, or should have been," Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg, a 13th-round draft pick in 2008, will likely start the season in Reading, perhaps as the team's closer. But given how he handled his first full season in professional baseball, he is a candidate to make a quick move through the Phillies' system.

He is spending his first spring training in big-league camp as a non-roster invitee.

"He's a mature young man," Phillies assistant general manager Chuck LaMar said. "He's a little older than most first-year players. Between his maturity and age, we felt comfortable pushing him last year. It paid dividends."

Out of spring training last season, the Phillies decided to send Rosenberg to Lakewood. The 14th-round pick from the 2008 draft, Michael Schwimer, went to Clearwater, a level higher. Both had put up stellar numbers during 2008 at short-season single-A Williamsport.

LaMar said the Phillies wanted Rosenberg to have more success under his belt as a pro. Considering that Rosenberg needed shoulder surgery at the end of his junior year and didn't become a reliever until his senior season at Louisville, the Phillies played it cautious with the righty.

The labrum injury may have been the best thing to happen to his career, Rosenberg said. He took a redshirt year between his junior and senior season to stay on for a fifth year. He started five games for Louisville as a senior but found that his arm tired by the fourth inning and his stuff wasn't the same.

That's when coaches approached him and suggested a move to the bullpen. At the time, Rosenberg was the school's all-time leader in games started.

"I was hesitant when they first mentioned it," Rosenberg said. "I had never pitched out of the bullpen. I almost felt like it was a demotion.

"But once I made that transition, everything fell into place."

Last season, Rosenberg had a 33-inning scoreless streak between Lakewood and Reading. He converted 22 of his 26 save chances.

Even if Rosenberg may have been pitching above his level in the South Atlantic League with Lakewood, LaMar said it was the correct decision for the organization to make.

"I'm not big on quickly moving kids who are unproven in professional baseball just because of this, that or the other," LaMar said. "He obviously proved in Lakewood he could handle everything about professional baseball. He had that to fall back on."

The most appealing part about Rosenberg's success in the minors is that he's doing it with superb control. At Lakewood, he struck out 65 batters and walked just 10.

That's what Rosenberg will ride in his attempt to make the majors. He throws a fastball in the mid-90s and a slider he is developing as a strikeout pitch. He also throws a change-up, but he said he used it fewer than 10 times last season.

In his Grapefruit League debut Saturday against Pittsburgh, Rosenberg pitched two scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, two walks and struck out two batters.

"I had a little trouble finding the strike zone, but I think that was because I was pretty excited to get out there and face the hitters I did," Rosenberg said.

"Next time, the butterflies will be a little down. I'll be more into my game."

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