M's setup man Brandon Morrow sees the big picture

PEORIA, Ariz. — Back in the bullpen, Brandon Morrow tucks away his future and consents to the present.

He's a relief pitcher, not a starter, not yet. It's best for the team to keep some of his promise boxed and wedge the rest of him into a narrow role: right-handed setup man. It's an important job, yes, just not as glamorous as most visions for a player taken fifth overall in his draft class.

So Morrow resides in no-prodigy's land. Sold to the public as a potential top-of-the-rotation starter, he's just plugging a hole right now. Fortunately, he pays little attention to how the situation looks.

"I don't really think of it like I'm wasting away in the bullpen or like it's a staging area, just somewhere to put me until a rotation spot opens up," says Morrow, the Mariners' first-round pick two years ago. "I'm there to help, and I'm committed 100 percent to the bullpen while I'm there."

When players start putting percentages on their loyalty, you know they're going out of their way to hide their emotions. At least he didn't say he was 110 percent committed, like most athletes would have.

But this Morrow kid, he sounds genuine. He must have some disappointment, even if it's only 2.5 percent, but he sees the big picture. While he's in the bullpen, he might as well accomplish something, and perhaps his reward will be a postseason berth.

If it isn't, then the Mariners will have sacrificed another year of Morrow's development as a starter just to be disappointed in September again.

The Mariners have reached that awkward time in their rebuilding. They made a bold move to speed up the process. They created a team that looks like a contender on paper. Yet they have more players to develop than the ready-made teams, and they must make shrewd decisions on how to handle these youngsters.

The hope is that they can nurture and succeed all at once, but the danger is that they stunt growth and flop.

Morrow spent the offseason playing winter ball in Venezuela, preparing to become a starter. But after general manager Bill Bavasi signed Carlos Silva to a four-year contract and then traded five prospects for lefty Erik Bedard, the openings in the starting rotation disappeared.

So Morrow is left with another year in limbo. He becomes extremely valuable if he succeeds as a setup man, but he's forced to ignore his future. Morrow may not start a game until 2010.

Look at the starting rotation. Bedard and Felix Hernandez aren't going anywhere. Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Batista are signed through next season. Silva is just starting his new deal. Unless the Mariners made a trade or moved Batista, a former reliever, to the bullpen, their starting rotation is set for the next two years. Fortunately, Morrow is still just happy to be in the majors.

"I just don't really care either way," he says. "I like the bullpen. I like starting. I'm just happy to be up here helping the team. I'm really happy to have made it so quickly and still be in their thoughts, even if I'm not starting, so that they want me up here to help contribute."

Manager John McLaren admits the Mariners have pondered the past few months whether Morrow would be better off in the minors, developing as a starter.

"But my feeling is, we'd rather have him here, helping us win ballgames," McLaren said.

Win now. It's a must, no matter the price.

"I also don't think it's fair to him," McLaren said of Morrow. "He's been doing what we asked him to do. He deserves to be in the majors."

Morrow pitched 36 innings in Venezuela, working on his control, building up his arm and learning to utilize his slider and split-finger fastball more effectively.

He laughs at some of his success last season, saying that he was "effectively wild." Morrow walked 50 batters in 63-1/3 innings as a rookie. His 97 mph fastball got him out of enough jams to perform respectably, but he needs to do more. He's proud to say he only walked eight hitters in those 36 innings in Venezuela.

He's loose this spring. He smiles more and talks louder during interviews. Last season, he was some young hotshot who dared to make the major-league team right out of college, and he went out of his way to show humility. Now, you see his confidence and personality.

One thing hasn't changed, however. Morrow is back in the bullpen. He's the roving draft pick, a future starter, a current setup man.

"I'm not worried about it," he insists.

And so we'll drop the issue, for now, but just a reminder: Only the win column can validate this helter-skelter plan.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com. For more columns and the Extra Points blog, visit seattletimes.com/sports