Burnett: Healthy, rarin' to go

By MIKE HENRY
mhenry@bradenton.com

BRADENTON -- Left-handed pitcher Sean Burnett feels so good this spring, he almost won't mind if the Pirates want him to begin the season in Triple-A Indianapolis.
That's an exaggeration, of course. But it's also a sign how far Burnett has come since left elbow irritation forced him to miss the second half of 2007 with the Indians after going 4-5 with a 4.48 ERA.
Burnett -- who pitched in the Venezuelan League this past winter -- has not allowed a hit in his last seven outings, covering eight innings. He has a 0.90 ERA and eight strikeouts in 10 innings.
"With me, the biggest question mark the last couple of years has been if I'm healthy or not," said the 25-year-old Burnett, the team's first-round draft selection in 2000.
"I think I've proved that I'm healthy and I've thrown the ball pretty well. All I can do now is wait and hope I opened enough eyes and we'll see what happens," Burnett said.
Burnett missed the entire 2005 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his left elbow. He was 8-11 at Indianapolis in 2006 and has not pitched for the Pirates since 2004.
"Now that I feel good, it makes baseball fun again," Burnett said. "You've got to be healthy to compete at this level, and I think I've competed pretty well."
Although only three of his 150 career professional appearances have been in relief, Burnett says it won't be difficult to adjust to that role if that's what the team has in mind.
"It hasn't been too much of an adjustment yet, because in spring training you know what innings you're pitching," he said. "But I've worked on getting warmed up faster, like a reliever would have to do, and so far I've adjusted pretty well."