More beef for Tillman
It's not like he plans to begin a steady diet of double cheeseburgers, but O's right hander Chris Tillman, at the urging of club officials, would like to add a few pounds for the 2010 season.
"This year I'm trying to put on a little weight. The Orioles want me to come into spring training a little heavier. My playing weight has always been 200 to 205. They want me a little higher this year. So I'm concentrating on gaining some weight this offseason.
"I'd like to come in at 210. I can do it, but being able to maintain it is the tough part. In spring training you run around in the hot weather and I usually lose some weight then.
"Gaining weight could give me more strength and I think that's what they want in the long run."
The 21-year-old Tillman made his Major League debut July 29 versus Kansas City. He went 2-5, 5.40 in 12 starts over 65 innings with 24 walks and 39 strikeouts.
He's had a pretty quiet offseason to date.
"It's been good, you know, started off with some down time. [During] my offseason I do a lot of fishing and hunting, so I've been doing that. The last month or so I've been working out pretty hard."
Tillman, who makes Huntington Beach, California home in the winter, will soon begin his throwing program.
Tillman's name surfaced briefly in some stories in the trade that eventually sent Kevin Millwood to Baltimore, but he said he never read about it or even heard about that from anyone.
Now Tillman, who turns 22 April 15, wants to take the next step up in his game.
"I need to be more consistent next year. I started out okay but kind of faltered. I need to try and stay on the same plane this year. That's another reason the O's want me a little heavier.
"Some games my curve ball was there, then it wasn't. I need to be more consistent with all my pitches."
More Tillman talk:
-He went 8-6, 2.70 in 18 starts at Norfolk.
-Tillman is 29-24, 3.79 in 84 career minor league games.
-He was the O's minor league pitcher of the month for April, going 1-0, 1.29.
-He won his first Major League game August 14 vs. the Angels.
-While he was in the game, the O's scored two runs or less in nine of his 12 starts.
-He was the Mariners' 2nd-round pick in 2006.
-At 21 years, 106 days old, he was the youngest Oriole to make his big league debut since Hayden Penn in May of 2005.
-He started on the mound for Team U.S.A. in the Futures Game on July 12th.
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Categories (click for archive)Orioles News | Steve Melewski |
As a women, I would love to have a job that encouraged me to gain weight free of guilt!
Just kidding, but I do think it will help Chris' stamina over the long haul to have a little more meat on his bones.
That's why you come in at 215 or 220 Tillman. Take some creatine...drink some megamass shakes...and hit the weight room. Focus on your lower body work and don't overdo it with the upper body workouts. 55% of your body's muscle mass is located in your core and legs. Work those areas hard and you can add the needed weight. Seems like our strength and conditioning coach should know this stuff.
At 6'5"...tillman absolutely needs to put on some muscle, his frame came support it, but he doesn't have the build to get that much bigger. He sounds like one of those guys that hard to put on weight...but if he could build up to around 215 he could be a workhorse.
The most absurd thing I heard reported at the winter meetings was Chris Tillman's name coming anywhere near that deal. Thats why he didnt hear anything about it.
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I was suprised he didn't hear about it. Even if his name was never even mentioned by Texas, it got into some newspapers I'm pretty sure. Usually some friends or someone might have called Tillman to ask him about it, but he said he never heard from anyone on that............Steve
Out of our stable of young arms he is one of the ones I am most worried about---he seems to need more time either in the bullpen or at AAA.
I hope Chris can get everything working for him this season and does very well.I think Tillman,Matusz,and Bergesen all have the ability to become very good major leauge pithers and hope they help turn the O's into a contending team again very soon(maybe this season).
We need ya' kid, bring it !!
KyleProBoller,
Yes, you indeed know more about weight training than the Orioles strength and conditioning coach. Great advice, really. I'm sure Tillman has read this and is stopping by GMC on his way to the gym.
Or not.
However, if we're dealing out weight training advice, perhaps you'd want to touch on the importance of Tillman maintaining his flexibility while adding muscle. Also, you should explain how Tillman should incorporate a throwing program into his workouts as adding 20 pounds of muscle is sure to tweak his pitching mechanics a bit.
But as a troll simply looking to bash the organization at any chance, you know all of this.
William in Blacksburg:
Where did I say flexibility wasn't important? Where did I say he shouldn't incorporate a throwing program. What kind of a pitcher isn't going to be on a throwing program in the off season??? Seems to me that you were way too eager to throw around some childish insults rather than logically argue the points I made in my post. You might want to grow up before you post here again.
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Now boys calm down. Just make your points without taking shots at anyone please.....Steve
William, that was really well stated.
He can safely gain that weight, and I'm sure in his cross training program during the season, his shoulder and his legs are of the greatest importance. He likely does yoga or something similar.
Thanks, William!
I initially ASSUMED our strength and conditioning coach was one of the "team officials" who were "urging" Tillman to bulk up. But having been enightened by another poster, I now know it was the marketing department trying to get Tillman some of those Palmer ads from the 70s.
KPB,
You implied you knew more about the training program for our pitchers than our own strength and conditioning coach. I was just suggesting that if you're going to pretend to know more than the strength coach that you also pretend to know about a throwing and flexibility program as these are commonplace even among high school programs.
You obviously do not, but it was just another attempt of yours to bash the organization without any actual facts.
Stating that you're a troll isn't childish. Trolling, however, is rather childish.
Chris should hang out with me one weekend. Ill have him 5 pounds heavier in no time.... scratch that... he should probably stick to what hes doing.
Steve-
I'm flipping out right now. Here is what I'll never understand about MLB and trades etc.
Have you looked at who is going where in the Halladay/Lee trade?
WTF? Not 1 of the prospects were in the top 80 of BA's top 100 for 2009.
Drabek is #16 in Baseball Chronicles fall 2009 list. But that is it.
Maybe I value our prospects more, but, I don't think thats the case because OUR's are all over every top 100 list I can find.
I say I'm going crazy because, it looks to me like, the O's could have grabbed lee in that deal for like Arietta, and Snyder. Maybe 1 more LOW LOW level player.
I then look at the Granderson/Jackson trade, and look at the prospects in THAT deal, and their stats, and rankings, and think, Detroit got totally raped.
Macphail pulled off the greatest trade in MLB history going by stats on the Bedard return.
I really wish I could be a fly on the wall in a discussion for Adrian Gonzales/Fielder/ or M-Cab.
If I'm trading a stud for prospects.....I would want the kids I'm getting to have TOTALLY DOMINATED so far in their careers. 2 or 3 in the Halladay trade are in their 3rd years of pro-ball and carry A- ball ERA's of 5.5.
I just don't get it.
Being told to gain 5-10 lbs. with the holiday season coming up? Now THAT'S the American Dream.
Oh, wait... not that kind of weight, huh? Oh... guess it will be a little bit tougher I suppose.
I wish the Orioles would and could do this in this order.
Sign Erik Bedard 2 year deal with incentives and option year for club.
Trade for Miguel Cabrera.
- Luke Scott, Justin Turner, Jake Arrieta, and Timothy Bascom.
- plus we take on most of his contract
Sign Matt Capps 2 year deal, 3 millon a year
Trade for Mark Reynolds.
- David Hernandez, Matt Angle, and Billy Rowell.
I know of a CY-Young winner who is 5-11, weighs 170 lbs. He has 676 Strike outs in 2.6 seasons maintaining a 40-17 W-L record. I'd rather make him do a video study on a guy named Lincecum.
Thank you for your help!