SARASOTA, Fla. -- After last season, Orioles general manager Roland Hemond, in his quiet way, suggested to Sid Fernandez that he could be a much better pitcher if he improved his physical condition and reduced his weight.
Hemond's words reinforced the left-hander's own motivation to work himself back into shape, according to Fernandez's agent. Fernandez has lost more than 30 pounds this off-season, says representative Tom Selakovich, in an effort to re-establish himself as one of baseball's toughest left-handers.
"Sid has made a commitment," said Selakovich, "and he's lost 30-something pounds."
Selakovich says he knows how much Fernandez weighed at the end of last season, how much he wanted to lose and how much the left-hander weighs now, but won't reveal any of the numbers. He did say Fernandez has reached his goal and is now trying to go even farther, and wants to weigh around 225-230 pounds.
"Sid's at the point in his conditioning where the weight is not an issue," Selakovich said. "He's ready to go."
Fernandez, who signed a three-year contract with the Orioles before the 1994 season, began the year on the disabled list with tendinitis in his left biceps. Activated April 16, he pitched well in his first five starts, compiling a 2-0 record and a 1.91 ERA.
However, Fernandez got pounded by the Minnesota Twins on May 14 and his season started to fall apart. He went back on the disabled list June 27 with a strained rib-cage muscle, and finished with a 6-6 record and a 5.15 ERA.
Selakovich said that even before the strike began, Fernandez was determined to improve his conditioning. "Sid was very dissatisfied with how he pitched in his first year in the American League," said Selakovich. "He felt like he could've pitched a lot better than he did last year. . . . He felt like he had to just go back to basics, lose the weight and get back to being a dominating pitcher.
"There will be no question about Sid's weight this season."
Hemond said, "We've had every assurance Sid has worked out this off-season."
Hemond talked with Fernandez after the season, and followed up with "between six and 12 calls" to Selakovich, the agent said.
Phil Regan became the Orioles' manager in October, and he, too, called Fernandez.
"Roland took an important role in trying to make my client understand, hey, you can be a better pitcher if you do this and that," said Selakovich, who flew to Hawaii in December and worked out with the pitcher. "And the new manager [Regan] gave him the ultimate motivational talk."
Regan said Fernandez could be extremely important to the Orioles' chances in the AL East this year. "I think he's lost quite a bit of weight," said Regan, who said Fernandez weighed 260 pounds at the end of last season. "To me, that shows he's really motivated. When the other guys see this, this could be a big pick-up for the whole team.
"We wanted to tell him how important he is to us. If we want to build a championship team, Sid Fernandez is a vital cog. . . . I saw him pitch in New York [with the Mets], and I've seen him pitch some great games. I basically said he can win 12-15 games for us, and we'll have a chance of winning."
Selakovich, speaking for Fernandez because his client won't return calls during the strike, said the left-hander hired a nutritionist and a trainer, but wouldn't expound further.
"Whether he tells you more about that is up to Sid," Selakovich said. "Once he gets to spring training, he might talk about the weight once -- he might not want to talk about it at all. But after that, he won't talk about it.
"The weight will not be an issue this year. Sid's worked very hard this off-season, and you'll see it when he gets there."
FERNANDEZ IN 1994
Month ... W-L .. ERA
April ... 1-0 .. 2.29
May ..... 2-2 .. 5.29
June .... 1-2 .. 4.94
July .... 2-2 .. 6.91
August .. 0-0 .. 6.35
Total ... 6-6 .. 5.15