Steven Register Player Profile

...This great profile and information comes from Adam Rubin at the Daily News:

If Duaner Sanchez isn’t ready to break camp with the Mets, and it’s certainly possible, it would seem that the next reliever in line would be Rule 5 pick Steven Register from the Rockies.

Basically, the Mets paid $50,000 to the Rockies to draft Register (pictured) during the winter meetings. He would become the organization’s property if he remains on the major-league roster the entire season. If he doesn’t stick, he’d be available to other teams to claim off waivers (the likelihood if he’s not kept), or otherwise be offered back to the Rockies for $25,000.

Here’s a brief bio and Q&A:

DOB: May 16, 1983
Throws: Righthanded
Born: Columbus, Ga.

Drafted: By Rockies in third round, 2004 from Auburn University.
2007 stats: 1-3, 4.03 ERA, 37 saves, 58 innings at Double-A Tulsa.
Taken by Mets on Dec. 6, 2007 on scout Jerry Krause’s recommendation.

What’s this experience been like, since you’re a Met, but maybe not?
All the guys have been really good. But, I mean, it is a weird situation. You’re with the team now, so you’re trying to fit in and everything. But then, one snap or one second later, I could be with a different team. So it’s been good, but it’s definitely been a weird situation.

The Rockies have stars – Matt Holliday, Troy Tulowitzki, etc. – but you’re directly across from the lockers of Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana. Are you in awe?

I wouldn’t say in awe, but it’s definitely a different situation, because Pedro and Santana are right across from me. That’s definitely different than I’m used to.

Are they treating you like any other pitcher? Or when Rick Peterson instructs you, does he not make any real changes since you might very well go back to your original organization?
I think he’s treating me like I’m on the team. At first, when I was coming in, I didn’t think they’d kind of mess with me or change anything. I thought I was just going to throw and see what happens. But he started working with me on some things, and I think he’s just treating me like I’m on the team. The first three weeks they kind of let me do my own thing. Then, after that, Rick saw a few things, so we started messing with a few things here and there – things with my motion and different splitter grips to tighten up the spin.

Until last year with the Rockies, you were in their rotation. Why did they put you in the bullpen, where you were at Auburn?
I closed in college. Then, when they drafted me, they made me a starter. This last year they put me back in the pen. They wanted to get me innings, but they told me when I went to Double-A I was going to go back to the pen. I got to Double-A and they kept me as a starter (in 2006), and then last year after one year in Double-A they put me back in the pen.

Do you have one career highlight, from the Rockies or Auburn or anywhere?
The highlight would be playing for Team USA, playing down in the Dominican Republic against Cuba and winning the silver medal. That was real fun. I was setting up for Huston Street, so it was definitely fun. That team (also with Justin Verlander and Jered Weaver) was great. It was the (2003) Pan American Games. We lost to Cuba in the finals. We were playing down there and there were 20,000 or 30,000 people in the stands just yelling at every play. It was a good experience.