Is Balester the "Lannan" for the Nationals in 2008?
John Lannan thinks Collin Balester has the makeup to be a Major League pitcher for years to come. Some may think because of his California upbringing that Balester is a "whatever dude!" beach bum. But he is not.
Collin, even though he grew up on a California beach, is not a big swimmer, but a true baseball player. He is intense. He is serious. And he has a repertoire of pitches that can befuddle any batter.
Last week against the New York Mets, Balester showed some emotion after a rough inning and slammed his glove down on the dugout bench.
Lannan knows what Collin was going through: "You don't want to show emotion, but it's very frustrating when you go out there and you want to do your job and it doesn't go your way. So it's a part of learning. (Collin) knows this is experience that will help him in the future. Next year, Collin will come up here and take this experience in the right direction. He is going to realize that this was one of the best experiences of his life because it molded him into the pitcher he is going to be."
Collin has focused this year on throwing his off-speed pitches. He has thrown his curveball more on 0-2 pitches. Collin has gotten a good feel for his curveball now and feels comfortable throwing it at all times. He has always been able to command his fastball, and now he has added his curveball to his other off-speed pitches, and he continues to work on his 2 seamer. Thats the mark of a confident, maturing pitcher.
He also gives credit to the pitching coaches he has worked with over the years. Columbus pitching coach Steve McCatty was able to find a couple of things that Collin was doing wrong and fix them.
That made Balester feel more comfortable on his sidework and then he was able to take that into games. Nationals pitching coach Randy St. Claire has worked with him constantly with the big club, and Collin says every pitching coach he has had over the years has added a little or a lot to make him the pitcher he is today.
Rewind to August 2007. Balester was in the Minors and his pitching coach was calling his stuff "Major League". Just like John Lannan did before him, Collin is making a name for himself at the top level. So who is next to make the big splash?
It is true that athletes know where the talent is on the team and Lannan's assesment of Balester is dead on. Players, not Managers nor Fans or writers or even GM'S know who should be playing and who shouldn't be playing. Its the players who know. Thats why I like it when the players have closed door, players only meetings. They can kick some rear in there without anyone knowing anything about it. I feel Lannan, Balester, Zimmerman, Flores, Guzman and the likes are going to Step up and say next year in Spring Training " This is our Team" and they will become the leaders on the field and off the field.
In Balester or Lannan I feel we are looking at the potential Ace's of the staff and with their leadership for years to come. We will see a World Series in DC before these young guns are through. I feel the Nats are like the Braves of the 90's or the Tigers of the 80's. Glavine, Smoltz, Morris, Hernandez, Lannan, Balester.