Oliver Perez still has something to prove

Before leaving for the World Baseball Classic, he made a good first impression.
VIERA, Fla. (AP) -- The early view of Oliver Perez has been encouraging, but the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher still has much to prove in this spring training and beyond.
"It's a big year for me," he said. "I know that. And I want to do my best."
Perez, a 24-year-old left-hander, is coming off a forgettable 2005 in which went 7-5 with a 5.85 earned run average in 20 starts. He missed two months with a broken toe after kicking a laundry cart in anger in July.
Beginning of troubles
His trouble actually started in spring training, when he sat out two weeks because of a lack of an offseason arm program, then struggled at the start of the season and never recovered. His fastball, once routinely clocked at 98 mph, often was down to 88 mph.
This spring, Perez says, things are different.
He went back to pitching winter ball in Mexico and, although he went 0-4 with a 6.16 ERA, his fastball and slider were solid. Pittsburgh general manager Dave Littlefield made a special trip to watch him pitch in late December.
Perez also reported to camp eight pounds heavier, the result, he said, of an offseason training program designed to give him better strength and balance.
"That's why I'm happy right now," Perez said Thursday before the Pirates game against the Washington Nationals. "I've been working a lot to get like this, to be ready for the season."
Perez left the Pirates on Thursday to report to Mexico's training camp for the World Baseball Classic, but he made a good first impression Wednesday. He pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts and needed only 19 pitches in an 8-1 victory over Manatee Community College. The competition was inferior, but Perez said he focused on the strike zone, which he found with all but four pitches.
Good location
"I threw 100 percent," Perez said. "I used my splitter. My slider was good. My location was good. Right now, I feel really good."
Perez appeared tentative in the early part of spring, his fastball rarely reaching peak velocity in bullpen sessions. But that could be attributed to pitching coach Jim Colborn's daily efforts to keep his back leg steady during delivery.
The Pirates are counting on Perez to regain his outstanding form of 2004, when he was 12-10 with a 2.99 ERA and averaged 11 strikeouts per nine innings, tops in the majors. But manager Jim Tracy is reluctant to single out any players.
"Is Oliver Perez important to us? And Kip Wells? Sure, they are," Tracy said. "But we've got a whole clubhouse full of guys that are important to us."
Notes
Center fielder Chris Duffy was limited to being a designated hitter Thursday in the Pirates' Grapefruit League opener against the Nationals. He has a left shoulder injury and is expected to return to center field Monday. ... Zach Duke will start Pittsburgh's exhibition home opener Friday against the Nationals in Bradenton.
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