MORROW BACK IN 'PEN, WITH STARTER'S STUFF:FORMER RANCHO COTATE STANDOUT PITCHED IN VENEZUELAN WINTER BALL, REFINING AND EXPANDING REPERTOIRE

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Brandon Morrow spent the winter demonstrating that he's

ready to become a big-league starting pitcher.

Problem is, the Mariners don't need him to start.

Morrow, a former Rancho Cotate High standout, is back in spring training

preparing for his second season in the majors. Once again, Morrow is going to

be a reliever, the primary setup man for closer J.J. Putz.

Up until just a few weeks before spring training, Morrow was one of the

leading candidates to join the rotation, which is what he wanted to do all

along. It's why he spent part of his winter in Venezuela, working on improving

his repertoire.

Then the Mariners acquired lefty Erik Bedard to fill out the rotation, and

Morrow was headed back to the bullpen.

Morrow, 23, said it was ''a little bit (disappointing), but I'm happy to be

back in the bullpen. I like it.''

Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said the Mariners still could shift Morrow

to the rotation if the team has a long-term need for a starter.

''He's a very valuable guy for us,'' Stottlemyre said. ''He's a guy in the

future who may end up as a starter. If not, he's going to be a tremendously

strong pitcher in the bullpen.''

Stottlemyre, who is in his first season with the Mariners, got a look at

Morrow last fall in Arizona, just before Morrow went to Venezuela. As a

rookie, Morrow had pitched mostly with his fastball, but the Mariners sent him

to winter ball to work on other pitches.

''We're working on his changeup, which is improving,'' Stottlemyre said.

''He also had a slider and split-finger. He basically has the pitches to

start.''

Morrow was 3-2 with a 2.72 earned-run average in Venezuela. He struck out

31 and walked just eight in 36+ innings.

''It was fun,'' Morrow said of winter ball. ''The fans are kind of crazy

down there. It's their big-league season.''

While Morrow was in Venezuela, trade rumors were circulating up north. The

Bedard trade had been percolating for weeks, and Morrow was rumored to be one

of the players who would go to the Orioles at one point. Although Morrow ended

up staying with the Mariners, he no longer had a shot at the rotation after

Bedard arrived.

Morrow said manager John McLaren called him 10 minutes after he heard the

trade was official.

''He just laid it all out to me that I'd go back to the bullpen, which I

appreciated,'' he said. ''It's nice to know where you stand.''

Morrow was a valuable member of the Seattle bullpen last year, when he made

a surprising jump to the big leagues just nine months after walking off the

campus at Cal.

Morrow pitched in 60 games, compiling a 4.12 ERA. Opponents hit just .243

against him, including .221 by right-handed hitters. Morrow said Putz helped

mentor him. Morrow said he learned that pitching in the big leagues is not so

different from pitching at any other level, and he didn't have to try to make

a perfect pitch every time.

This year, Morrow said he'd like to integrate what he learned in Venezuela

as a starter and use it back in the majors as a reliever.

''I'm just trying to get more consistent with my off-speed stuff and use

that a little more than I did last year,'' he said.

Contact staff writer Jeff Fletcher at 521-5489 or

jeff.fletcher@pressdemocrat.com