SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- At 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, with a long stride and the hair that waves in the wind, Jeff Samardzija has that mound presence that can intimidate. With an arsenal of as many as seven pitches and a fastball that is a solid mid-90s, he can overpower. And as a former All-American wide receiver at Notre Dame, whose father was a semipro hockey player, he can compete.
What's been missing in his big league career has been the gaudy kind of stats that would seem to come natural with that size, power and competiveness.
Welcome to San Francisco, Jeff Samardzija.