Contract Signing and Final Brockton Prep

My baseball plans for the summer are beginning to take shape. I signed a playing contract with the London Majors of the Intercounty League. I will begin the season in the bullpen as a reliever, with perhaps a chance of cracking the back end of the starting rotation at some point throughout the season depending on my success on the hill.

Obviously, this new role as a reliever will be an adjustment for me as coming out of the bullpen late in games is not something I’m accustomed to. In fact, I’ve been a starting pitcher every summer and college season since my first year playing university baseball. There will be a learning curve in terms of my preparation before and during games; also my strength training regimen between games will also have to be tinkered with.

I will need to find the delicate balance between being rested and ready to throw at a moment’s notice and not letting my training program fall by the wayside. I’m sure the first couple of weeks will be filled with a lot of experimentation.

The big difference for me is that I’ll have to come out of the bullpen with all of my pitches raring to go and be ready to throw with intensity and at a stress level that I’m not used to at the beginning of my outings. Typically, for most starters, it usually takes one or two innings to really get into a groove; to a point where we feel like we can throw the ball wherever we want. If I allow a couple of baserunners early in the game or even a run, it’s not a big deal, as there is plenty of time for me to right the ship and my teammates to score runs.

However, there is no such luxury as a reliever. In this new role, allowing a couple of baserunners or giving up a run can be the difference between winning and losing the game. This will be a new type of pressure.

One way to counteract any ‘rust’ at the beginning of an outing is to oil up like the Tin Man in the bullpen before entering the game. And no, I’m not talking about some fancy new designer performance-enhancing drug. I mean throwing 40 or 50 pitches in the bullpen to work out any kinks in my pitches or delivery, so when I get on the mound, I’m at the same point I would be in inning three or four during a start.

Of course, these are relatively minor concessions to make for the opportunity to play baseball at a (semi) professional level. I just want the chance to prove myself against the best hitters I can find and if I have to do that while occupying a spot in the bullpen then I am more than willing to do so.

The above will also undoubtedly apply if I’m able to get signed to an independent league contract at the conclusion of the Brockton tryout this weekend. From what I’ve been able to ascertain, the tryout will pretty much follow the same format as the Indy Pro Showcase in Fort Myers, so I will be throwing to batters on both Saturday and Sunday.

For blog coverage, I am once again planning on posting videos from each day of the trip to give my thoughts on how things are going, my results on the hill etc. Thus, if the internet connection and my video editing program are behaving, expect video updates on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.

It’s been almost three months since my last US tryout, so it’s time to see what I’ve learned since then and put it into practice. I’m throwing long toss and a bullpen session twice this week and only working out hard once to ensure I’m in peak form for the weekend. If I want to make a dent on those radar guns, I’m going to need it.