Hey guys, I didn't see anyone mentioning Giovetella on the site yet, sorry if someone else has posted it. Pardon the cut/paste job from the Star. Formatting might be messed up, so here's a direct link if it's too unreadable. - Marbotty

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Johnny Giavotella to try his luck at pitching

BY BOB DUTTON

The Kansas City Star

SURPRISE, ARIZ. -- A week ago, Johnny Giavotella found himself traveling on a bus back to Omaha, after a brief stint with the Royals spring training squad. Now he finds himself somewhere completely new: on the mound.

Giavotella, who has played second base his entire major league career, moves back to a position where he once had some success ... in high school.

"This is what’s best for the team right now," he said. "Things happen, and you can’t control that. When I first started playing ball, I always wanted to pitch. Looks like now I'll get my chance."

Dayton Moored dismissed speculation that the recent injuries to Paulino or Soria sparked the change. "It didn't really play into it. We love all the things that Johnny brings to the table, and right now we think this will make us a better team in the future."

"He can swing a bat as good as any middle infielder on our squad," Moore continued, "but defensively, we saw guys like Getz, Yuni, and (minor league prospect Christian) Colon as more of a long-term solution.

"We may eventually shift him back, but we want to give him a shot (as a pitcher) first."

Giavotella is not the first Royal middle infielder to transition to pitching. Former Royal Tony Pena, Jr. is trying to make his way back to the majors as a reliever for the Red Sox, after washing out as a shortstop prospect. Brian Anderson, at one time one of the top prospects in the game, also made the switch from outfielder to pitcher while playing for the Royals' minor league affiliates in 2010

"Johnny is at a point in his career," manager Ned Yost said, "where he's still young enough to make the jump to pitching. Knowing what I know of him, I have no doubt he'll be able to do it."

To reach Bob Dutton, call 816-234-4352 or send email to bdutton@kcstar.com. Follow his updates at Twitter.com/Royals_Report.

Posted on Sat, Mar. 31, 2012 09:23 PM

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/28/3520518329/giavotella-to-pitch.html