March 2, 200620 yr nice article by Baxter Pitcher Petit makes a preemptive strike Yusmeiro Petit's three seasons of winter ball in Venezuela -- during which he faced some of the majors' best -- may give him an edge with the Marlins. BY KEVIN BAXTERkbaxter@MiamiHerald.com JUPITER - Young and mature. OK, so it's an oxymoron. But it's also the top line of the scouting report on Marlins right-hander Yusmeiro Petit, who at 21 already carries himself like a big-league veteran. ''He seems like he handles himself real well,'' pitching coach Rick Kranitz said. ``He's doing his business. He's doing his work. Everything's been real good, real positive.'' And for that, Petit has three seasons of pitching in the Venezuela winter league to thank. ''When you go down and play there, it's like you've got another season of experience, another season facing good hitters,'' said Petit, who has followed three of his past four minor-league seasons by pitching in winter ball. ``The league in Venezuela is very strong, comparable to the big leagues here. The teams are very well-prepared, and there are a lot of major-leaguers playing there.'' In fact, Venezuela and the major leagues are the only places where pitchers can face the likes of Miguel Cabrera, Bobby Abreu, Carlos Guillen and Alex Gonzalez in consecutive starts. And because Petit pitched well enough there to win nine of 13 decisions with an ERA below 2.50 the past two years, he figures there's no reason he can't be successful here. Kranitz agreed. ''Obviously, we're going to wait until games . . . [but] it seems like he has a very good feel for what he's doing, for where he's throwing the ball,'' the first-year Marlins coach said. ``But we'll wait and see when the bell rings. When the hitters get in there, they'll tell you.'' BIG POTENTIAL Wait and see. That also has been part of the book on Petit since the New York Mets signed him in 2001, a week before his 17th birthday. Because none of Petit's four pitches -- fastball, slider, curve, changeup -- are deemed extraordinary, he doesn't get the attention hard throwers such as teammate Travis Bowyer get. But with a deceptive delivery that allows him to hide the ball until the last possible second, he does get outs. And wins. Which is why he was the No. 2 prospect in the Mets' farm system before the Thanksgiving Day trade that brought him to Florida. Petit, who said his great-grandfather brought the family name to South America from France more than a century ago, is the son of an agricultural engineer and a schoolteacher from the lakeside city of Maracaibo in oil-rich western Venezuela. He said he learned his wind-up there, then had it perfected by Mets minor-league coach Blaine Beatty. The Mets later recorded Petit's motion on a super-slow-motion camera and broke it down into 35 segments -- and even then they couldn't believe how well he kept the ball hidden. ''Deception is huge in this game,'' Kranitz said. ``As a hitter, the first thing you want to do is pick up the ball. If you can't pick up the ball, that means the ball is getting on you quicker. It doesn't matter about velocity at that point.'' What does matter is command, and Petit clearly has that, having walked just 91 hitters -- striking out 491 -- in 401 2/3 minor-league innings. All he needs now is a chance, something that seemed slow in coming with the Mets. BETTER OPPORTUNITY ''I talked to the Mets, and they said they knew I have a better chance to pitch here. They said that's why they traded me,'' said Petit, who came to the Marlins with minor-league infielder Grant Psomas in exchange for first baseman Carlos Delgado and cash. ``It didn't surprise me that I got traded, but the team they sent me to surprised me. It was a team that hadn't been mentioned much in trade talks. I can get to the major leagues faster over here.'' Kranitz will reserve judgment on just how fast, though, saying only ''there's a lot of competition'' for spots in the Marlins' rotation. And Petit will make a concession of his own, too, confessing that between pitching in Venezuela and the major leagues . . . well, there are some differences. ''You get used to having your family there. You feel more comfortable,'' said Petit, who has a brother working as a bartender in Miami but a wife and 9-month-old daughter at home in Venezuela. ``Here you're alone: It's difficult, but it's something you have to accept. You have to focus on trying to make the team.'' link look at that K/BB ratio.
March 2, 200620 yr Can't wait to see this guy pitch, interesting to hear more about the funky windup, we all know what that can do for someone with a pretty much average fastball. I think out of the prospects we have, he is the most interesting, can he continue to suceed at the higher levels? Is a question I can't wait to find out.
March 2, 200620 yr Willis was once just a guy with a deceptive fastball. At the same age, this kid has excellent control on a deceptive fastball and three other pitches. Dynamite! Also, it was Petit, Psomas AND Jacobs.
March 2, 200620 yr I hope Petit does make the club cause i would love to see him pitch, but i have a feeling he will be coming up to the bigs in midseason
March 2, 200620 yr for the record, im sure this has been asked before but... how's it pronounced? Petit as in Andy Pettite or as in Petite like the french term for something little...or is it something different?
March 2, 200620 yr Very nice job by Rupe in the ninth....1-2-3 they went. DW with his first Spring Victory.
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