Ohlendorf '05 traded to Yankees in Johnson deal

It's not every day that a baseball player from Princeton is involved in a trade for a soon-to-be Hall-of-Famer. For Ross Ohlendorf '05, however, that day finally came on Jan. 9. In a long-discussed and oft-delayed move, the New York Yankees sent legendary leftie Randy Johnson back to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team from whom the Yankees had acquired Johnson two years ago.

Ohlendorf, a young prospect who has thrown only one game at the Triple-A level, is now permanently linked with Johnson, a pitcher who has starred in the big leagues for nearly 20 years. Known as one of the most intimidating pitchers in the game, Johnson has won five Cy Young Awards — including four consecutive awards between 1999 and 2002 — and compiled more strikeouts than anyone in history except Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens.

The deal comes on the heels of a season in which Johnson, who has led the league in earned run average four times, had a career-high 5.00 ERA. Despite winning 34 games for the Yankees over the past two seasons, Johnson has been considered a disappointment because he only showed flashes of the dominance he routinely displayed in his years with Arizona.

Ohlendorf, however, is hardly one to be intimidated by the comparisons to the man for whom he was traded. In his last year at Princeton, his junior season, Ohlendorf went 7-3 with a 3.45 ERA, racking up 79 strikeouts in 67.2 innings. He capped his season off with a dominant victory over Virginia in the NCAA Regionals, a game in which he pitched eight and two-thirds innings and allowed only two runs.

Ohlendorf was drafted in 2004, allowing him to pursue his dream of playing major league baseball. He was drafted 116th overall by the Diamondbacks and played most of the 2005 season for the Tennessee Smokies, a Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. There, the six-foot, four-inch, 235-pound right-hander adjusted quickly to professional baseball.

Ohlendorf started 27 games for the Smokies and had a 10-8 record and a 3.29 ERA. Unlike his days in college, when he could easily use his power-pitching style to strike batters out, Ohlendorf struck out only 125 batters in 177.2 innings. He only walked 29 batters, however — a mark that even the most precise pitchers would be happy to claim.

Arizona bumped him up to Triple-A at the end of the season, and Ohlendorf started one game for the Tucson Sidewinders in the Pacific Coast League. The PCL is notorious for being a batter-friendly league, but Ohlendorf more than held his own in his first start, a no-decision in which he pitched five innings and allowed only one earned run.

Moving to the Yankees organization, Ohlendorf could be well-positioned to see the major leagues toward the end of this year. New York currently has Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte firmly ensconced at the top of its rotation; however, the fourth and fifth spots are quite open. The team is hoping that Carl Pavano can fill one of those slots and that Japanese import Kei Igawa can keep the other one warm for top prospect Philip Hughes. The Yankees are also currently pursuing Roger Clemens, who has not yet decided whether he will retire.

If Ohlendorf makes his way onto the team, his initial stint will most likely come in the bullpen rather than as part of the starting staff. New York struggled last year with the seventh and eighth innings, which form the crucial bridge between the team's starters and its lights-out closer, Mariano Rivera. Kyle Farnsworth, a 2005 off-season acquisition who was brought in to be the team's eighth-inning setup man, had a mediocre 4.36 ERA.

With a few bad stretches in the early months, the Yankees may see the wisdom of exposing their young talent to the majors. In past seasons, the Yankees have been rejuvenated by minor-league call-ups such as starting second baseman Robinson Cano, starter Chien-Ming Wang and outfielder Melky Cabrera. For Ohlendorf, the time may come soon when he must prove himself on the biggest stage — and transform himself from the answer to an obscure sports trivia question into a major-league star.