Is outdated but it's a nice read, and tells you something about kevin's work ethic.

 

Hello again everybody. Well I have made the jump from A-ball to Double-A again. In my second game I got my first at bat since 2001 and it got me thinking back to my last at bat in a real game.

 

 

 

It was in college when I was attending Xavier University and we were playing at Temple. It was an at bat that everyone wishes their last at bat would go--- just like Ted Williams. I hit a 0-2 pitch over the left field fence for a home run that actually ended up being the deciding run in the game. That would be my last hit in college due to a fracture in my right foot that prevented me from running without pain.

 

 

 

In the first game of the year I fractured my foot in the midst of a run down on a blown suicide squeeze attempt. After the game I saw a doctor who said I had to have the bone removed from my foot because the likelihood of a full recovery was remote. But, as most college kids would probably do, I put off the surgery until the end of the season because I didn?t want to miss any time. However after a couple weeks or so of playing and continuing to aggravate the injury it was pretty obvious my year as an outfielder was over. So my coach gave me a chance to pitch so I could continue to play.

 

 

 

It?s safe to say my days as a pitcher started out pretty rough. I made my first start the day after my last hit and Temple welcomed me by hitting five home runs and scoring 14 runs in five innings. It pretty safe to say after that game I sure didn?t think pitching was for me. The trend continued in my second outing as the University of Cincinnati scored 6 runs off me in one inning. Luckily for me it got a whole lot better after those first two outings. Not that anyone could do much worse than 20 runs in their first 6 innings of pitching.

 

 

 

After my shaky beginning I really started to settle in though. I was able to throw a two-hitter against St. Bonaventure, share Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week honors and win four consecutive conference starts. At the end of the year I ended up having moderate statistics as a first-year pitcher going 5-5 with an ERA around a 5.50. After my last start I was pleased with how far I had come and at least thought I had made a good enough adjustment that the coaches might make me the number one starter the following year. But, as most people in baseball understand, you never know who is watching and who you can impress.

 

 

 

Sometime during this two month pitching experiment a pair of Florida Marlins scouts saw me throw and liked what they saw. Brad Del Barba and Tom Keefe saw something in me, thinking that I would be able to compete in professional baseball. They gave me a shot at every baseball players? dream --- a chance to fight to the major leagues.

 

 

 

I still look back at that college season and can?t really believe someone had that much faith in my talent. But, because of those two men who gave me a shot and saw something in me, I?ll never play a game again without thinking to give it everything you have--- because you never know who?s watching.

 

 

 

Kevin

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Here's another one:

I'll never forget the spring of 2004. I was just put on the 40 man roster as a pitcher for the World Champion Florida Marlins and heading to my first big league spring training. The excitement I had of going to a spring training with a World Champion is something I'll never forget, even when my playing days are long gone.

 

 

 

I believe that in that first camp I was able to learn so much about myself. As a rookie in camp I would watch all the guys that were on that championship team. What I mean is the way they went about there business, from how they worked out, what there work ethic was like and how they repeated or went about trying to find there comfort zone in there mechanics. Maybe every rookie does this. But, for me it was a way to figure out just how close I was to really being ready to try and make that step into the show.

 

 

 

I probably took that first camp for more than it really was because I had an unbelievable spring with them. Five scoreless innings in B games and another scoreless inning against Dodgers in a grapefruit game. At that point I felt like I was on the cusp of being able to play at the big league level. It was an amazing spring for me even after I was sent down to minor league camp with 2 weeks left.

 

 

 

However, when I arrived in Zebulin, North Carolina for my season with the Double-A affiliate Carolina Mudcats that momentum from spring training didn't arrive with me. I struggled to find a comfort zone on the mound and began second guessing everything I was doing. For the first time in my career I was letting my mind effect the way I pitched. Something every pitcher tries to avoid because the mental part of the game is bigger than anything else. If a pitcher beats himself up mentally over whether it's the right pitch or it's the right spot to throw it a hitter has already beat you.

 

 

 

In the spring when I was throwing so well I went to the mound saying heres my best and you can't touch it. But, In Carolina it was more where can I throw it where the hitter can't hurt me. And I believe if you ask any pitcher what happens when you think this way, he'll tell you the hitter gets the best of you more times than not. The good news for me and any other pitcher that goes through this type of season is there is an offseason.

 

 

 

This offseason was probably the best of my five year career. I had plenty of time to reflect on the season and talk to people about what I had to do to get better. And things you can do to try and take the mental side of the game out of the equation. I really believe that as bad a season as I had last year it will help me evolve into a better player in the future. I was able to hook up with a pair of personal trainers in Pennsylvania that played minor league baseball, who helped me drop 22 pounds and get into the best possible physical condition I could be in. And since both were hitters I was able to talk to them about a hitters approach in the box. That I hope can help me better understand what a hitter is trying to do against me in the box. I took this offseason more seriously than any I have before. And hope it helps me not only in spring training but, also for the long haul of a 142 game regular season schedule.

 

 

Now in my second big league spring training, and first as a non roster invitee. I look around and don't really see what everyones doing as much as I see how relaxed everyone is. I'm enjoying this second go around so much more than my first. The nerves I felt at this time last year are gone. I find myself spending more time talking to people about there approaches rather than just watching them. I've learned from my mistakes of last year and continue to try and understand exactly how it all went wrong so quickly. Hopefully this new approach I have to this challenging game will help me compete better than I ever have.

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