Mastny is hoping this is year he finds a spot on Tribe’s staff

The big right-hander is
battling for the final bullpen spot on the Indians’ roster.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (AP) — At 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, Tom Mastny is tough to overlook. Somehow, though, the Indians reliever always is.

“It’s been that way my whole career, so I’m used to it,” Mastny said Sunday after a quick workout at a sunny but chilly day at spring training camp.

This season, he’s hoping to make a more lasting impression.

He needs to as the right-hander is battling several others for the final spot in the Indians bullpen, a multipurpose relief role that he filled nicely a year ago in his first full season with the club.

“At every level I’ve been at, other guys always get noticed more than I do,” the baby-faced 27-year-old said. “Why should it be different for me in the major leagues?”

Mastny doesn’t have a killer fastball, an unhittable sinker or a funky knuckleball. Yet his analytical approach to pitching, willingness to work and learn, and somewhat unorthodox throwing motion helped him compile a 28-9 record and a 2.20 ERA in the minors.

He went 7-2 with a 4.68 ERA in 51 appearances for the Indians in 2007, then worked 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the playoffs.

Mastny won Game 2 of the ALCS in Boston, getting rave reviews for retiring the heart of the Red Sox order — David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell — in quick fashion in the 10th inning of a tie game.

It seems that everywhere he went, he was reminded of his performance in Fenway Park.

“To me, it was no big deal,” he said. “It was doing what I’m expected to do, what I’m paid to do — and that’s get outs.

“Looking back, it has given me more confidence simply to know that I can do the job in a pressure-packed situation. It was fun and makes me want to work harder than ever to help get my team back to the playoffs.”

First, he must win a roster spot in a competition with right-handers Edward Mujica, Jorge Julio, Brian Slocum and perhaps a few others.

“He’s in the mix,” said manager Eric Wedge, who would not single out a favorite. “We had a good bullpen last year. We’ll take the guys this year we think will make us better.”

Wedge welcomes Mastny’s even-keel and no-nonsense approach.

“He’s very mature, very professional and you know you’re going to get a solid effort from him,” Wedge said. “He definitely took a big step forward in the playoffs. Now, he’s got to step up some more. He’s still got areas where he can improve.”

This spring, Mastny has been near-perfect. In five scoreless innings, he’s allowed two hits and one walk, while striking out nine. Along with his good overhand curve and fastball, he’s been mixing in a two-seam fastball.

“It’s a cutter-slider and I’m learning to trust it,” said Mastny, who was scheduled to face the Tampa Bay Rays today. “I need as many pitches as I can throw for strikes because I’m never going to overpower anybody.

“I realized a long time ago that you have to go with your strength and take your chances. You have to be confident enough that your best will beat any hitter. I believe that if I hit my spots, I can get the job done.”

Mastny said he doesn’t mind having to prove himself again this spring to gain a job.

“I look at it as a game within a game,” he said. “If you are any kind of competitor, then that’s what you want to do — compete and win.

“It’s no different than when I was in college. I was a freshman and wanted to take the job of some senior. When I was a senior, I had to work extra hard because I knew there was a freshman who had the same ideas I did four years earlier.”