First Fall League Appearance

Today was an intersquad game following a morning of practice. I was schedueld to throw yesterday but since it was raining all of yesterday I was pushed back into today.

I felt good on the mound but it was weird throwing in an intersquad. When I used to hit, I always felt weird hitting against guys I knew well and I do not think I was as intense as I am during a regular game. Anyways, onto the performance.

To start the inning we worked on our bunt defense. After my warm up pitches there were runners placed on 1st and 2nd to simulate a bunt situation. I struck out the hitter trying to bunt but because it was practice he got to keep bunting. He ended up getting the bunt down after the strikeout and I threw him out like a regular play.

The real outing started after that. I faced the same hitter who had just seen me throw four pitches and I fell behind in the count 1-0. I had to come back with a fastball in that situation and he singled up the middle. I like to think I was setting up the double play for later. The second hitter took a pitch, then fouled off a failed hit and run. In the 1-1 count I went with fastball because I was having trouble locating but he popped out to right field.

I fell behind the third hitter 1-0 also, it was my recurring theme for the day, but induced him into a 6-3 double play to end the inning. Technically I threw 1.2 inning but officially only threw 1.0 inning.

My line was either 1.2 1 K 1 H 0 ER 0 BB, or 1.0 1 H 0 ER 0 BB.

After the outing the minor league pitching coordinator explained to me that I was breaking my hands late which is why I was not getting good extension towards the plate. For the next two days I will be working on getting that timing down for Saturday when I go against the Nationals for real.

I didn’t get a chance to throw any off speed pitches during the game which was what I was looking forward to doing. Having fastball command in my eyes is more important right now than throwing good off speed pitches. Especially because I fell behind all three hitters there was not a lot of room for me to start working on the secondary stuff.

Overall I feel good about the performance and I’m looking forward to hopefully throwing again Saturday against an official opponent.

Last Impression

Today was the last game of the year and then everyone gets to go home. I will cut straight to the chase in the ninth.

I came into the game with a 5-0 lead in the 9th and I felt good in the bullpen. When I left the game it was 5-5 heading to the 10th.

I had four walks in the inning and our centerfielder made a terrible read that let three runs score. In the scorebook all it will say is that runs score but in reality they scored because of a fielders “error”.

It was similar to last time I went and pitched but this time it was three times the run.

My final line was .2 4 BB 5 ER.

Now that the season is over I can take a moment and relax. I have been playing since January but my relaxing vacation ends after two weeks. I was told that I have to come back and play in the instructional baseball league.

I am glad I have an opportunity to come and pitch with some of the other players who they like in the organization but at the same time being away from home is always lame. I’ve also found out that giving up runs is way worse than striking out.

I won’t be updating this until I come back September 14th. See ya then.

 

Edit at 7:30 PM.

After taking some time to think about today and looking at my body of work this season I think I have been very successful. If you take away today’s performance then I had a very good season, even with this outing it was not a horrible season for someone who is just starting to learn about pitching.  In the two weeks that I am home I plan on learning more about different grips for pitching and getting a feel for them coming into the instructional league.

My first pro season is under my belt.  I still do not think that the feeling of being a professional a player is in my mind.  I guess it will be something I have to get used to.  I also thought how it will be nice to get a break but also another pitcher on the team told me it is nice I only have a two week break and will not have to sit on this outing until February.

My overall impression of the season is a good one, and I am looking forward to seeing where I stand with other players in the organization during instructs.

Less Than A Week Left

One week from today I will be home for a couple of weeks. There are a lot of guys here that are staring at the clock. Since there is only a week left I figured I might as well make a good last impression.

I thought initially that I would throw tomorrow but today I received the call. It was 5-1, Braves trailing, in the seventh inning. The last time I pitched against the Astros I gave up a home run and was excited to face them again.

Also, with a couple of walks last time I was eager to come back and show the coaches that it wasn’t my style to walk lead off hitters.

Anyways, onto the pitching for the day. I felt like I had better command of my fastball today which cut down on the walks. The first hitter squared me up good on a 1-1 fastball that was hit directly at our center fielder. I remembered how much I hated hitting balls hard right at people. The next guy was a little trickier and when we hit the ball I thought for sure it was an out. It was between third and short but both fielders ended up thinking the other guy was going to field it and it went into left field.

One thing the coaches told me I needed to work on was holding runners so they kept calling pickoffs. I’m glad they did, but at the same time we were down four and I wanted to go at the hitter. The next guy received the heavy dose of fastballs and punched him out on an up and in fastball. The next hitter I got him to 1-2 and it was time to throw the curveball. I ended up spiking the 1-2 curveball and the runner tried to steal second. My catcher threw him out and that was my first inning.

Second inning went a bit smoother and he struck out on a fastball down and away. After getting ahead quickly 0-2 to the next hitter I hung a curveball that he flared into right center. At first I thought it was a base hit but it was tracked down. Final guy, 1-1 fastball in on his hands that shattered his bat. 4-3 to end the inning and I was through my fourth inning of the week.

Final line was: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K, 0 ER, 0 BB.

I think my arm felt good for throwing the third and fourth inning of the week. We ended up losing the game and being eliminated from the playoffs , which means we only have four games left next week. I would say I will throw Tuesday or Wednesday and call it a rookie season.

Another plus from today was that our assistant GM and minor league fielding coordinator were here. It is always nice to throw well when decision makers are in town.

Before the game the fielding coordinator was telling us to finish strong, and I am on that path now.

Yankees

In the Gulf Coast league we play against six different teams. The Tigers, Astros, Phillies, Blue Jays, Yankees 1, and Yankees 2.

For some reason the Yankees have two teams in the league and I’ve heard that they spend the necessary money to make sure they win the league. With the Yankees having two teams, it seems like we play them every week, and I made an appearance after my week long absence today.

I’m not sure if it was the week without throwing in a game or maybe it was just one of those days but I struggled through the appearance. I did the one thing that a pitcher should never do, and I did it twice. I came into the game trailing 5-4 in the 7th. I walked the first hitter I faced. That is the ultimate no-no for any pitcher. Fortunately for me, the next hitter swung at a first pitch fastball that would have been a ball.

After a quick mound visit where I was told to keep the ball down and throw the slider, the slider bailed me out and I rolled him into a double play. After the double I still felt odd on the mound but I got another ground out to end the frame.

While I was waiting to pitch the next inning our team took the lead. This meant that I was now the pitcher of record and line for the win, or potential loss if I ended up blowing it. Well what did I do? Walked the lead off hitter again. The fastball release point was non existent for me today which meant I had to rely heavily on an off speed pitch, something I haven’t had to do yet. The defense bailed me out again with a double play and the next hitter flew out to left. The fly out was actually a positive for me because it was a fastball in the zone, something I had been struggling with up to that point. I’m starting to think having a few struggles while pitching is good because it makes me adjust to the situation. It also shows the coaches that I can compete in though spots while not having my best stuff.

The final line on my outing was: 1 Win 2.0 IP 0 H 2 BB 0 ER

I guess you could say I was unhittable today.

The team travels to Clearwater tomorrow to play the Phillies, and I will be in the stay back group because I threw today. If I had to guess my next appearance will be Friday or Saturday, and then the shortened week of four games.

First, Round Two

After yesterday’s rain out we were scheduled for two seven inning games with the Yankees. Our home game was rained out, so both games were at their place. The first game we were the visitors and the second game we were the home team.

The first game was uneventful because I was not on the list to pitch. I was keeping myself occupied by talking with the other relievers. We ended up winning, which is nice because they are in first place.

The second game I didn’t think I was going to pitch because I was on the game chart. Usually we have plenty of pitchers and whoever is on the chart doesn’t throw that day. In this case I was wrong.

With the game 2-0 in our favor, I was told to warmup. The pitcher before me got into a jam in the sixth but managed to workout of it. That meant that I was slated in for the seventh. My second save opportunity since I have been here. The last time was the second outing of my career and I was pulled with one out to go.

This time I had a successful outing and completed the first save in my career. The first hitter grounded to second. I couldn’t throw my curveball anywhere near the plate so I went with fastballs to everyone. After the first ground out, the next hitter followed that up with a ground out to third.

The last hitter gave me a little trouble by fouling off a few pitches but he ended up striking out on a fastball down and in.

My final line was: 1IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 K, 1 SV

I felt good throwing today even though I usually throw on Wednesday after a Saturday outing. I think my next appearance will be Friday or Saturday, it just depends on how the other pitchers do.

Another First

I made another appearance today against the Astros. I came into a much less intense situation than my last outing because we were up 12-1. With this kind of lead I figured I’d go right after the hitters rather than try and nibble around the plate.

Not a good choice. I fell behind the first hitter and on a 2-0 fastball I gave up my first home run as a pitcher. Now I have a small look into the lives of the pitchers that I had success against this year. Luckily for me we had an eleven run lead to play with.

I feel like it sucks to give up any runs but this first home run was a bummer. I have finally been initiated into the ranks of a pitcher.

After the home run I got ahead of the next two hitters and struck out both of them. The fourth Astro grounded out to second base.

1 IP 1 H 1 ER 2 K 0BB

It’s day like today that I wish I was a hitter and could enjoy what I was doing. I enjoy being here and being part of an organization but at the same time hitting was always what I wanted to do and now that I can’t, I’m trying to remain positive with an unknown situation.

Counting today, I only have two weeks and four days left here. At this point I doubt I’ll be moving onto a higher league for the end of the season but baseball is strange so who knows. With 5-6 more experiences I will continue to try and improve while leaving a good impression on the coaching staff here.

Pirates Round 2

Today the Pirates came to Orlando. The last time I pitched against the Pirates I had a solid outing. This gave me confidence going into the day because if I faced the same hitters I could have a plan.

My last outing was Saturday, and I came in with a man on third with two outs. I’m not sure if it was planned or if it was merely a coincidence, but I came in with that exact situation today.

Man on third, two outs, 3-2 ball game in the seventh. I was being brought in to protect the lead and protect my fellow pitchers base runner. The last time I was in this situation I got ahead 1-2 and the guy hit a fastball for a base hit. After the game the manager said I should have gone with an off speed pitch.

I was having flashbacks to that because I got this hitter to 1-2 and I thought, well better throw an off speed pitch or else the manager is going to be pissed. He was definitely in the right, and the guy chased to let us escape the game.

I thought that this might be all for me like last time but I went out for the 8th and a fresh inning. I went 3-2 to the first hitter and be ended up chasing a pitch that led to a pop out. I followed that up with a strikeout. Two quick outs and I was feeling good. Unfortunately I left the next pitch over the middle and allowed a base hit up the middle. It was a tad frustrating because I wanted the clean inning but now I had to worry about this guy potentially scoring and evening the score.

I worked ahead of the next guy with three fastballs to get him into a 1-2 count. I’ve found pitching is much easier when you work ahead and challenge the hitters. Anyways, I ended up spiking a curveball that he chased but the umpire said he fouled it off. I went right back to that pitch but he missed it this time. My day was done after that.

1.1 IP 1 H 3 K 0 ER 0 BB

I was pumped up that I had the chance to come into a situation that I failed at last time. I wanted to show the coaches I can handle being brought into those situations and that I can succeed. Tomorrow is on the road, and I won’t throw or travel. My next appearance will most likely be Saturday but who knows around here.

.1 Inning

It was bound to happen at some point. Today I came into the game with 2 outs and a man on 3rd.

He ended up hitting a flare single to right that scored the run, and making the ball game 1-1. I proceeded to walk the next hitter, have a runner advance on a stolen base throw into the outfield, and then another single.

I don’t remember how I got out of the inning or who made a play to help me out.

My final line was .1 IP, 2H, 1BB, 2ER.

After that my day was done and we were down 4-1. We ended up losing 4-3, but I don’t think I was it with a loss.

I figured that having a bad outing was going to happen eventually. I felt that I was rushing myself through the motion and trying to be mechanical rather than letting my motion flow. Obviously I’m bummed that I let up a total of 3 runs and we ended losing the game, but I think I can take this and learn from what I did. Next time out I can relax and throw, rather than think about every part of the delivery.

I’m happy there is an off day tomorrow and I can enjoy the rest of Saturday. I’m not sure the next time when I will pitch, there isn’t a system and it seems disorganized to who is throwing when.

Guess I’ll find out when they tell me to start warming up.

Blue Jays Round 2

Today I made my second appearance against the Blue Jays.

I made my debut against them this year and I was looking forward to facing a team I had already pitched against. I thought that they might have remembered me from last time but I doubt anyone in this league pays that much attention.

Anyways, onto the appearance. I came into the eighth inning and we were up 6-0. I figured coming in and throwing strikes while not trying to be so fine would be my best option. The first guy hit a 1-0 fastball to left that broke his bat. It was a blooper hit, but since I broke his bat I didn’t feel bad.

The next guy swung at the first pitch inside and fouled it off. I went back inside on him and he hit a flare to second base. I’m not sure why the man on first was running but he was doubled off. Two quick outs.

At this point I was feeling good and had only throw four pitches. The next hitter worked the count a bit more but I got him into a 1-2 count. I went with a curveball and I thought it caught the plate but the umpire disagreed. The 2-2 pitch was a fastball on the outside corner and he grounded out to 1B.

This was my first appearance since Thursday and it felt good to get back onto the mound. Tomorrow the team plays at the Blue Jays and I will not travel. The next time I pitch it should be Friday or Saturday, depending on how much other guys throw.

With that being said, this should be my last appearance of July. In the last month I have gone from sitting at home, practicing with the team, and going into August as a full fledged member of the bullpen. We will see what the weekend brings.

My first 2.0 Inning Appearance

Today I pitched against the Astros. My usual outing only goes 1.0 inning and I can air it out. Well today I was told I would be going back out for another inning after the first.

The first inning I gave up 1 hit and had 1 strikeout. The hit was a quick guy who push bunted on the first pitch. A good sign for me was that I came back and got the hitter to ground into a double play, or so I thought. The middle guys got the first out but could not get the second. With a man on second and two outs the next hitter grounded out and I was through the seventh.

The eighth inning took a little longer because I went 3-2 on the first hitter. He ended up grounding out to third on a bang bang play which was awesome. I actually threw a change up for a strike to the next hitter because they were all sitting fastball. I ended up getting back to back strikeouts to end the eighth and the day was done.

We ended up winning the game which was great and I’m happy I got to contribute. One of the higher ups was here today and I picked a good day to pitch well.

One thing the bullpen catcher told me to do was find a routine. So far when I warmup I wing it and then see what happens. The next part of my development that I am going to work on is developing the routine.

We play tomorrow in Tampa and at home Saturday. I should be off both days as well as Sunday. My body is adjusting well to pitching, but it is nice to get rest after going all out. Anyways, I’m happy with my performance this far, and with five weeks to go I want to continue to make good impressions on the coaching staff.