Vancouver Canadians starter Eric Brown slowly dug a ditch into the pitchers mound each time he aimed for the strike box. With each pitch of the finite count allotted him each game, Browns lead foot slid along the same path and the trench slowly got deeper.
On Saturday night against Brown at Nat Bailey Stadium, visiting Eugene Emeralds pitcher Erik Cabrera futilely pushed around the loosened dirt to smooth out the mound. Brown didnt seem to notice.
The right-handed pitcher isnt getting too entrenched with the Cs. He likes the organization but its nothing personal that he doesnt want to be here any longer than necessary. Its already been nearly three seasons since he was drafted from the UBC Thunderbirds in 2011. The coaches and Cs manager Clayton McCullough feel the same about him.
We dont want to see too much of them, McCullough has said of players, touching on his responsibility to teach the Blue Jays systems and see the young athletes succeed by advancing from the short-season single-A club.
The minor leagues are development teams designed to serve MLB clubs like the Oakland Athletics, the Cs previous affiliate, and the Toronto Blue Jays, the Cs current parent club and the franchise that drafted Brown and invested in his potential.
The lifeblood of any major league team is the players that are signed and developed internally, said Blue Jays assistant general manager Tony LaCava.
Everyone who touches that player in our organization, whether it be the manager, the coaches, the coordinators they, all pitch in and come up with ideas as to make that player better.
LaCava couldnt disclose the Jays individualized player plan for Brown, but said the pitchers progress, achieved under the added scrutiny of competing in his university town, hasnt gone unnoticed.
Hes definitely having a nice season and were exited for him, said LaCava.
Brown, who was drafted in the 50th round, has to prove himself with consistent performance and also put up respectable numbers. He pitched four innings and allowed one run in two games for the Lansing Lugnuts, the Jays full-season Class A team, during their playoff run in 2011. Afterwards he returned to the Cs.
Because he wasnt an early draft pick, Brown is working hard to surpass the expectations many would have of a player selected 1,519th overall.
Its tough after the first few rounds, he said. They dont probably expect a whole lot from the guys that arent signing for big money but thats why once you get your foot in the door, you go out and do everything you can to prove to them that you deserve to stay here.
Brown, six-foot-one and listed as 185 pounds, bats left, grew up in Thunder Bay, Ont. and says he was always working to earn recognition. His current goal is consistency and command of his different pitches, a fastball, change-up and slider. He hurtles the ball just shy of 90 mph and could get faster yet.
Right now hes pitching better than he has in his whole life, said Canadians pitching coach Jim Czajkowski.
He has real good feel of what all his pitches can do, where he can throw them, and is confident he can throw any pitch, any time in counts. Hes very focused when hes out there and the game probably seems pretty easy to him right now because hes capable of doing what he wants to do. Thats being locked in.
The Jays employ number-crunchers who study much more than a pitchers ERA, but Brown is second in the Northwest League at 1.35. Hes started eight games for the Cs and is listed at 5-0 with 42 strikeouts, also second-best in the league. This is a marked improvement from his 4-5 record in 2012 when he pitched 6.20.
His stuff is good and he just needs the opportunity and hell get that, said Czajkowski. I look forward to that day.
Numerous minor teams represent multiple moving pieces. Brown is doing what he can to advance on his own merit, but a roster spot also needs to open. The Cs opening day roster reads differently two months into the season; Jordan Leyland and catcher Dan Klein are the latest to move up to Lansing. They were called up July 22 after the Cs wraped the first half of their season 22-16.
Theres all sorts of scenarios that could happen for a guy to get moved up, said Czajkowski, whos known as Cy or Zach to the players. A guy could get injured and if looks like it could be longer than a two-week stint they take someone up for that. Theres releases someone could get released, so movement comes up. We just had a draft, weve released some guys even from our own ball club, and theres been movement from the lower levels up to here.
When two rookie pitchers were drafted this summer and sent directly to Lansing, a seasoned pitcher there was sent back to the Canadians. The opening might have been Browns but he wasnt called up.
I know Eric was a little bit dishearted because of that but hell get his chance, said Czajkowski.
McCullough, Czajkowski and batting coach Dave Pano watch as green athletes become more seasoned and, from time to time, they help players manage their expectations and maintain focus. Brown may be on the edge of promotion and he cant waver now, said the pitching coach.
I understand his frustration, but in the big picture of the Blue Jays, thats the picture he doesnt see. I dont see it sometimes, its not my call. If it was my call, hed be out of here. But thats a higher-up call.
As long as he has a uniform, as long as hes doing the things he needs to do, hes being recognized for it. Things will turn out. If he concentrates on what he has to do on the field all the preparation that he does then he cant worry about the distraction of what if [and] why should I be here. Theyre all distractions, and the fewer distractions, the better chance you have to be focused on the mound.
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The Canadians won their five-game home series against Eugene but dropped two clutch games at the end of the first-half of the season and relinquished a guaranteed seat in the playoffs.
The club hit the road Tuesday for games in Spokane and Eugene. They return to Nat Bailey July 31 to host the Hillsboro Hops.
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