Peacock was quietly selected in the 41st round, but his game is far from silent

Sshhhhh! Nationals pitcher Brad Peacock is a pretty quiet guy. Even his dad admitted on MASN's game coverage last week during his first major league start, "Brad doesn't get too excited out there." But Peacock is not quiet enough to not want to clear a few things up. He is not from Miami, Fla., but from Wellington, closer to West Palm Beach and 73 miles north of South Beach. He is also not a Miami Hurricanes fan. He prefers the Florida Gators. They never offered him a baseball scholarship, because he didn't start pitching very well until junior college. Only nearby Florida Atlantic University offered him a full ride for baseball, because "they were the only school that saw me pitch." "High school I was about probably 88 or 90 mph," Peacock remembers. "Junior college came around and (my velocity) came out of nowhere. It was awesome. Every year since I have signed, I started throwing harder and harder. That is why I think I became a thrower. I just threw hard and tried to blow it by guys. The more I moved up, the more they hit it." So in spring training, Peacock worked with pitching coach Randy Tomlin. "We worked on deception and it all worked out," Peacock said. "I was a thrower before. This year I have learned how to pitch instead of just throw up there. I am going to take that (with me) for as long as my career lasts." Is there any significance to jersey No. 41 with the Nationals? He wore the jersey No. 18 in the minors. He is wearing No. 41 now and it is not because he was drafted in the 41st round. "Nope, it is just the number they gave me." Peacock said. He is fine with it, and probably will keep the number if things go well this week and beyond. "I am probably going to keep it. I got my first win with it. I am going to see what happens with it." As he looks back on his first start at Citi Field on Wednesday and a victory, Peacock said he was in already in a groove from his bullpen session before first pitch. "I was hitting my spots (in warmups)," Peacock said. "The curveball was good. I just wanted to take that into the game. That is what I did. I just wanted to calm myself down out there. I got ahead of hitters. I took deep breaths. I was a little nervous at first. After that first pitch, I felt great." Much was made about his major league debut, coming into the game in relief and allowing four hits. But Peacock said it made a huge difference for him to have that chance to pitch at Nationals Park in a pressure-packed situation prior to his initial start. "It was very important," Peacock. "I knew what to expect out there. It kind of prepared me for the next game. It can't get much tougher than that for my first one. I just took that (experience) into the next game. "Before the game, (Nationals pitching coach Steve) McCatty, Jesus (Flores) and I went into the office and went over the scouting report. I pretty much remembered everything he said. I took that into the game. Flores called a great game. It was fun having him back there." Peacock will now take his game and his jersey No. 41 into Wednesday's match-up against the first-place, playoff-bound Philadelphia Phillies. "It is definitely going to be a big test for me," Peacock said. "That lineup is pretty good. I can't wait to see what happens. I am excited." If Peacock can earn a win in Philly Wednesday, it will be tough to keep this story quiet around the majors in 2012.