Six Month Anniversary

My new best friend.

I realized the other day that I had been writing down my thoughts for the last six months.  I started this blog at the end of my college career with the goal of telling what it is like to be drafted and play for a minor league team.  I had a few bumps in the road but eventually I reached my goal of being picked up by a team.

In the last six months, I went from being a third baseman and hoping to picked up, to coming out of the bullpen in the Gulf Coast league.  It was quite the change of pace for me aswell as the people that have been supporting me throughout my baseball career.

I do not have much to say about the last six months because I feel like they were a small sample size of things that I will (hopefully) experience next year while playing a full minor league season.  I knew that when I came home for the off season that I would have extra time on my hands.  It has been nice, but at the same time I love the feeling of getting up every day and going to the field.  I am already to go back to Florida and be around a group of like minded guys that also have the same goal of every minor league player, which is playing in the major leagues.

In the next four to five months I hope to refine my pitching skill as well as continuing to stay in physical shape. Throughout the instructional league we were told that we are expected to be the leaders in spring training, and that is something that I have always taken very seriously.  The ability to lead other people is important to me, but I think it will be harder as a relief pitcher.  Overall, I believe that the coaching staff has a plan for me, because they know that I do work hard and do what I am told.  You might think well everyone that plays is a hard worker or they wouldn’t be playing, is not true.  Hard work isn’t going to get you anywhere by itself, but it definitely won’t hurt mychances of making positive impressions.  Then all that is left is to get the job done or they will find someone who will get the job done for you.

Six months ago I never thought I would be in the position I am today but I am thankful for the opportunities I have gotten so far and these next six months are going to be more important that the first six of my career.

Off Season / Winter Season

I don’t like to think of this break as an offseason because really there is no offseason. There is always a workout to do or someway to get better.

One thing I’ve always tried to accomplish is staying away from zero days. A zero day is a day when you did nothing that helped you get closer to a goal.

Now that I am home for a few months I’ll have to make sure that no zero days creep into my training. Even if there is a day where I workout for 10 mins and do some stretching, I would take that over sitting around all day.

The first step to my offseason is making sure I get into a good routine. This week is when I will, hopefully, sit down and write out the program I want to do. Hopefully I can network with some other pitchers and see what has worked for them in the past.

I’ve been home for a day and I’m already thinking about the season. It’s fun being home, but it’s also fun being around a group of like minded guys in the locker room.

Day 1 of training starts tomorrow!

Last Day of Instructional League

The last day of instructs was very uneventful. The rain that cancelled the game yesterday continued through the night and into the morning forcing a rain out.

On the positive side, I was scheduled to close to game if we had one which made me feel good. Also, I have an extra day of rest for my arm which means I can start throwing again sooner.

When I was in season and invited to the instructional league there were guys that were happy they weren’t invited. I can say that after five weeks down here that I have no idea why you wouldn’t want to get invited to this and experience it at least once.

I was able to meet pitching coaches from higher levels, as well as pitch in front of scouts from almost very other team. One of the new front office hires told me every time you play, it’s an audition for every team.

Another great part of the camp for me was being able to talk to players from higher levels and evaluate their talent. Now that I know that a lot of the pitchers that pitched in the camp were A and A+ pitchers it makes my confidence go up knowing I can pitch as well as they do.

Going into the offseason there is a lot of work I’ll have to do and I plan on updating the blog on what I learn. Also through talking with other players to get a better idea of what minor leaguers do in the offseason.

It is already an interesting feeling knowing there will be four months until the next team activity. All of the offseason is a buildup to spring training.

Offseason Day One starts tomorrow.

Last Week of the Fall

This is my last week in Florida until spring training. I was supposed to throw today against the Pirates and call it a season but the Florida weather decided that wouldn’t happen.

The game was going along fine until about the fourth inning when there were sporadic rain showers. Eventually the umpires felt like this was enough rain to cancel the game after the fifth inning.

I’m not sure if I will pitch tomorrow or call it a year because there are already eight guys scheduled to throw. I would like to throw tomorrow but if they choose not to use me then that’s their call.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed I’ll throw tomorrow and update the page with the results.

I Sound Like A Broken Record

After writing many posts about my pitching performances, I feel like my words are becoming repetitive and stale. I know that baseball is a game of repetitions but I thought I would make this post to tell you about the schedule of an instructional league pitcher.

6:30 AM – Wake up and eat breakfast. Some guys choose to sleep more and skip breakfast, but I enjoy food.

7:15 AM – Drive to the park. The drive in Orlando is only 15 minutes at the most.

7:30 AM – Arrive and do early stretching and foam rolling. We are supposed to activate our muscles everyday before practice.

8:00 AM – Early work. For a pitcher, this is dry work with the towel or working on a specific pitch.

9:15 AM – Team meeting. Everyone gets together and we talk over the schedule for the day.

9:30-45 AM – Stretching.

10:00 AM – After a water break, if I am in the game I do my conditioning right now. If I am not in the game I go play catch.

10:15 AM – Team Defense. This is anything that includes bunt defense, pickoffs, cutoffs, anything that the team does together.

10:40 AM – Individual Defense. For pitchers, this is when we do our groundballs and bunt defenses.

11:00 AM – Batting practice for hitters. I used to like batting practice, now I hate it because all we do is shag.

11:45 AM – Batting practice complete. If I am not in the game this is when I do my running with the other pitchers.

12:00 AM – Back in the clubhouse for lunch.

1:00 PM – Game starts and pitchers have foul balls and charting.

That is basically what I have been doing everyday for the last five weeks. Baseball is about repetition and having this routine helps so I know what to expect each day. Only five more days here and I’m not sure if I’ll pitch again but we will see.

Until next time…

Hello Astros

Today was the fourth outing of the instructional ball. It was against the Astros at their ballpark in Kissimmee.

My final line was:

1 W 2.0 IP 0 H 0 ER 2 BB 3 Ks

Overall I thought the outing was a good one, especially because they didn’t score. When I came into the game it was 3-5 and when I left in the sixth it was 6-5. We kept the lead which made me the pitcher of record and giving me my second win of the summer.

The two walks were the bad part of my outing. Also, I didn’t throw any good change ups that I can remember and that is a part of the reason I am here. The first walk was not a good hitter for me, because I came out and went 3-0 right away. The catcher said that the pitches were strikes but hey if the ump doesn’t call them then they aren’t strikes

The good parts were that I had three strikeouts and gave up no hits. I also stranded a runner on second and a runner on third in each inning.

I’m not sure if it is good or bad that I am throwing again Friday against the same team but it will be good to see how a team reacts to my pitching the second time around.

This is the last full week of instructs which is pretty exciting. I can feel the eagerness from being around the guys as they look forward to being home for the offseason. Just have to make it through this last full week.

Week Three

Three weeks of instructional ball are in the books. That means there is only a week and a couple days to go before the offseason.

I have thrown three times so far and if my calculations are correct then I have three more outings. In the next three outings I want to keep developing the change up while at the same time developing fastball command. If I have learned anything in three weeks, it is that you have to have fastball command to pitch at higher levels. Every pitch is dependent on being able to command a fastball.

I had a bullpen today during the game and my fastball command felt good. One thing the coach told me was to think about pitching in terms of hitting because I have been having trouble with my front side. Once he related it to hitting it made much more sense.

The great thing about being in this league is that there are multiple coaches who can give you a different view on the same technique. Also, I’ve been told this is a great look into what a minor leaguer can expect for spring training.

My next outing is against the Astros on Monday in Kissimmee. I haven’t thrown against them since the GCL so it will be nice to see the level of talent they have compared to that team.

The life of a minor leaguer in the instructional league and being done at 3pm isn’t so bad after all.

Outing Number Two

Second fall league appearance in the books. Final line was:

1 IP 0 H 1 BB 1 HBP 1 K 0 ER

Today I threw against against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. I like throwing against them so far because that is who I made my first appearance against. I came into the game in the eighth inning with the score 5-1.

The first hitter went simple enough, swinging at the first ball and popping out. The second hitter gave me a little scare because the center fielder couldn’t see the ball off the bat. He recuperated and made a nice running catch.

One of the reasons I am here is to work on throwing a change up and consistently throwing it well. The first one I threw to the third hitter hit him in the ribs. I guess he is happy because it was an off speed pitch and I’m happy because it doesn’t count as a walk.

The fourth hitter had already homered on the day so I wanted to get ahead and get him out. I had him at 2-2 and threw a curveball that he did not swing at, but I think that is because it started it too low. I’m feeling pretty good throwing it even though the coaches want me to work on change ups more.

I ended up walking him on a borderline inside fastball but no worries, I was focusing on not letting them score.

The last hitter was a lefty who took a fastball for strike one. I went with a change up next, and I actually threw a good pitch that he swung over for strike two. A few pitches later he took a curveball for strike three. The first strikeout of my fall season.

I felt good throwing but looking at the chart after the game I was only 91-92 with a few in the high 80s. That is uncharacteristic for me, and I’m not sure what’s causing it. I want to chalk it up to the fact I have been going full steam with baseball since January, but there are guys here who have throwing 70+ relief innings maintaining their velocity.

Two weeks from today is our last game which is exciting and then there is a four month break period that is can let my arm rest before I try to build it up for the season.

Pitching is weird sometimes, as today I woke up, traveled two hours, sat for three hours, and am now back on bus for the two hour ride home, all for 15 minutes of work. That’s something I am still getting used to.

I’m not sure when I’ll pitch next, but I think I only have three more outings to go. Three more chances to increase my stock going into the offseason.