Hi Folks:
Here is an article on one low level prospect that went to school in Jersey, near Lakewood… will be big news if he gets to play there.
From the Asbusry Park Press:
Slate looking to make his mark with Phillies
By TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER
The ball smacked into the catcher’s mitt. Throwing the ball was Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Kyle Slate. Slate devastated Shore Conference hitters last spring with his split-finger fastball. That pitch helped him to go 11-1 with an 0.38 ERA at CBA.
But he wasn’t working on his favorite pitch.
“When I was down in Instructional League, they (the Phillies) told me I’d have to learn the curve ball or a slider,” Slate said.
So the 6-6 right-hander threw curveballs at Frozen Ropes baseball and softball training facility in Tinton Falls a few days ago.
He said the Phillies told him to stop throwing the splitter so he could master a fourth pitch to go with his splitter, fastball and changeup.
“Hopefully in two to three years when I learn my curveball, I can bring the splitter back,” Slate said.
Slate, who turns 19 in April, was a 37th round draft pick of Philadelphia in June. He’ll report to the Phillies’ spring training headquarters next Saturday in Clearwater, Fla.
He said if he does well in spring training, he could earn a spot in the rotation of the Lakewood BlueClaws. That would make him the first former Shore Conference player to make the roster of Philadelphia’s Class A affiliate in the South Atlantic League.
Steve Noworyta, director of the Phillie’s minor-league system, said where Slate begins 2008 depends on how well he does in the upcoming weeks.
“He can stay in the extended spring program,” Noworyta said. “If that happens, he goes on to Williamsport.”
The Crosscutters, located in Williamsport, Pa., are members are of the Class A Short Season New York-Penn League.
“If he pitched well enough in spring training, he could end up in Lakewood,” Noworyta said. “It’s a matter of seeing how camp goes and we’ll take it from there. We’re not afraid to rush players if we feel they’re physically and mentally prepared.
“I like what I see in him. I think he has the tools to get to the big leagues. It’s a matter of taking those progressions to see where he ends up.”
That Slate ended up in professional baseball came as a shock to many late last summer when he decided to forgo playing college ball at the University of Maine.
“I thought about it (his decision to turn professional) every once in a while,” said Slate, who signed for an $80,000 bonus. “I feel I made the right decision.”
He spent the latter days of August with Philadelphia’s rookie club in the Gulf Coast League in Clearwater. In his one start, Slate pitched two innings, allowed four hits, one earned run, struck out four and walked one.
But it was in the Florida Instructional League where he said the learning curve became even more intense. It’s also where his fastball was clocked at 92 mph.
“It was guys all the way from Gulf Coast League to Double-A,” Slate said. “There were a lot of good ballplayers down there.”
He said during that time he met members of the Phillies who were not on the team’s 2007 playoff roster like Ryan Madsen.
Slate said this winter he’s been on a “strict workout program” that has helped him gain five to eight pounds.
“I’m excited to get down to Florida and am looking forward to it,” Slate said.
Phuture Phillies 
Is it common to have a pitcher not use a pitch at all in order to develop another? Could it jeopardize his control on the splitter to abandon it for so long?
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Appreciate the tactic of interviewing the “lesser” prospects along the way.
Gems could be found…if scouting is superior.
Concentrating on baseball stuff with a bit of personality/backgound thrown un.
Good job.
So…where’s Tyler Mach…??
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Rodeo,
Yeah, not a fan of that tactic. The Phillies made Floyd stop throwing his curveballl to focus on his changeup and commanding his fastball, and when they gave him his curve back, it had lost its sharpness. I definitely understand wanting guys to learn other pitchers and sharpen them, but unless its a health risk, I don’t see the benefit in making a guy not throw a pitch he’s used to get where he currently is.
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Thanks PP. I know I’m not a baseball genius, but that just doesn’t make sense to me when you think of how important control is to pitchers. I hope he’s throwing his splitter on the side!
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They take away splitters and sometimes sliders from teenage pitchers cause they don’t want to damage their arms until they mature physically. Also to develope pitches- so usually take splitters away from some college guys too.
I think I remember that they took away Gavin’s curve in the instructional leagues, and limited the number he could throw at least in the lower levels. I can tell you his curve in Lakewood was the biggest, sharpest curve i’d ever seen- next to Dave Stieb. Seemed to me he started to have troubles with it when they tried to alter his mechanics to try and get him to control his pitches better.
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the fish
why would a splitter be taken away from a teenager, wouldn’t a change up and splitter be the two pitches teenagers should learn to give them different pitch options without putting too much wear on themselves…. taking away sliders, curves, screwballs, slurves… I can agree with, but what makes a splitter so much more dangerous than a changeup…. the arm slot, arm speed and wrist action doesnt lend itself to elbow injuries, unless studies show otherwise…. just curious….
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First post! want to say I love the site PP. As for the splitter question, do a little experiment. hold up your pointer and middle fingers, together, facing out like you are throwing a baseball. then, put your other hand on the inside of that elbow. then, separate your fingers, as if you are throwing a splitter. you should feel a tendon, ligament, whatever become extremely tense. This is why throwing a splitter is draining, and why even established guys with splitters try to limit the amount they throw.
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