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| Although hitting has been a premium, it takes a tremendous athlete to dominate on the mound |
Baseball is a unique sport in many ways. Among those reasons is that it takes a specific skill set to excel at each position. Sure, some players like Pete Rose and Craig Biggio have become All Stars at multiple positions, but they are very much in the minority on that. Most players develop skills throughout their amateur careers that limit them to a particular position. It is often a source of pride for a player to say they excel at a difficult position such as shortstop or catcher. I wanted to get their take on it, so I asked former college players about their experiences playing the position and they gave some great insight. Here is Part 3 of the series…
Tom Buckley, Pitcher, Kellenberg HS and College of St. Rose Graduate
When did you first decide that you would exclusively become a pitcher?
It’s funny you ask this because I never really decided that pitching was the best thing for me. When I was 15 or 16, I was known for my hitting ability and got asked to join the Paveco Storm. I was told I would be put in the middle of the lineup and occassionally pitch. Little did I know my role would be completely reversed and I ended up being at the top of the rotation. From that point on, I got noticed by colleges for my pitching rather than my hitting.
What was it about pitching that appealed to you?
I always liked pitching, even when I was younger. I grew up watching some greats; Pedro, Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine and many others. I loved watching some of those guys break the radar gun, and overpower hitters. And then I enjoyed others like Glavine and Maddux because of their finesse approach and command of the strike zone.
How long after your surgery were you able to forget about the mental aspect and just focus on throwing?
I had my first true injury during my senior year of high school. It first occurred when my Paveco Storm team took it’s yearly trip to the Dominican Republic. It was my first outing of the year, and I wasn’t ready. The injury ended up being Biceps Tendinitis, and it dragged into my senior season. I wasn’t able to pitch like I did prior, so I eventually took the summer off and gave myself time to recover for college.
What is the most difficult aspect of pitching?
I never really found the physical aspect of pitching tough, but once I became a reliever in college, coming back on short rest was a lot different. Being a starter, you know when you’re going to start and have time to get yourself ready. Once you are in the bullpen, you need to take care of yourself more because you can be called on at any moment. My advice to young guys looking to pitch in college, is that you take care of your arm and make sure you throw and play catch each day, just so you don’t have the same issue.
Who was the pitcher you tried to emulate?
One of my favorite pitchers ever was Johan Santana, and being lefty, that’s exactly who I wanted to be. He had an electrifying fastball, and had the ability to pull the string on his change-up at any moment. He would confuse hitters like no other, and I tried to do the same thing. I think I did a pretty good job, but I just had an unfortunate injury that slowed me down.
In your opinion is pitching the toughest position?
I don’t think pitching is the toughest position at all, and if I had to chose which one is, I would probably say catching. I will say that I think being a reliever is tougher than being a starter, because a reliever is thrown into tough situations and forced to get out of them. A pitcher also has all the control and knows what he is throwing next. They can mix up their timing on each pitch, while the hitter has to stand there and sometimes guess what’s coming. And that’s what I think makes pitching fun and so enjoyable.
