Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/651219
IRISH IN THE PROS great impact on me as a player and I think a lot of it was his passion for what you do, how you come to work every day and enjoying what you do. "If you can connect with somebody you can impact them. That's an impor‑ tant trait in coaches and I think Pat's got a unique ability to do that." JEFF SAMARDZIJA (STARTING PITCHER, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS) In one of the biggest splashes of the offseason, Samardzija signed a five‑ year, $90 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. The former Irish wide receiver and pitcher seemed destined for a nine‑ figure contract until posting a 4.96 ERA with the Chicago White Sox last season. In 2014, Samardzija began the year with the Chicago Cubs — with whom he had spent his entire professional career — before being traded to the Oakland Athletics. Oakland turned around and dealt Samardzija to the White Sox last offseason, but now the former Irish star returns to the Bay Area. A.J. POLLOCK (OUTFIELDER, ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS) Dubbed by The Washington Post as "the best MLB player you don't know," Pollock begins another season with the Arizona Diamondbacks after a superb 2015 campaign. Pollock batted .315 with 20 home runs, 76 RBI and 39 stolen bases while earning a spot on the National League All‑Star team. The Diamondbacks were one of the most aggressive teams in free agency this past offseason to try and com‑ plement a talented nucleus that in‑ cludes Pollock. They are, however, in the National League West, a division that includes the San Francisco Giants (World Series winners in 2010, 2012 and 2014) and the free‑spending Los Angeles Dodgers. THE BEST OF THE REST • Reliever John Axford signed a two‑year, $10‑million contract with the Oakland Athletics during the off‑ season after posting a 4.20 ERA in 60 appearances with the Colorado Rock‑ ies last season. • Miami Marlins starter David Phelps is competing with four other players for the club's final two spots in the starting rotation. Phelps posted a 4.50 ERA in 19 starts (23 games) in 2015. • It looked as if reliever Jeff Man- ship's days in professional baseball were about to end before the Notre Dame product adjusted his mechan‑ ics and became one of the game's top relievers in 2015. In 32 games, he registered a 0.92 ERA, the best among 2015 Ma‑ jor League Baseball relievers. From 2009‑14, his ERA was a staggering 6.46 ERA in 72 career games with three organizations. NFL NOTES • The New England Patriots released former Irish linebacker Darius Fleming (2008‑11) after his two seasons with the organization at the beginning of March. Fleming played in 11 games over two sea‑ sons while recording three tackles and one fumble