Monday, April 03, 2006
Notes: Aussie Moylan gets his shot
03/18/2006
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Six months ago, Peter Moylan was just some baseball-loving Aussie playing once a week for some Australian club team named the Blackburn Orioles.
If the nearly unbelievable current chapter of his life goes according to his wishes, he'll soon be bringing his sidearm delivery and 96 mph fastball to the Braves' bullpen.
"I know I have the stuff to make it," said Moylan, a 27-year-old right-hander who signed a Minor League contract with the Braves on March 11, two days after making quite an impression with Team Australia in the World Baseball Classic.
Having already heard glowing remarks from his team's scouts and player development department, Braves manager Bobby Cox got his first chance to see Moylan during Saturday's 10-6 win over the Reds at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex.
"The Australian looked all right," said Cox after seeing Moylan allow one run, four hits and not issue a walk in two innings. "He's got a nice breaking ball and a changeup. He's a good sign[ing]. It's not like it cost us a fortune or anything."
Moylan, who had major back surgeries in 2001 and '03, hasn't appeared in the Minors since 1997, when he went 4-2 and posted a 4.05 ERA for the Twins' rookie-level team. But at a cost of just $30,000, he's certainly worth the almost non-existent risk the Braves have taken.
"There's obviously a lot of guys in the big leagues that don't have the stuff he has," Atlanta assistant general manager Frank Wren said. "But you've still got to produce at this level."
After Moylan allowed one hit, issued five walks and recorded four strikeouts against Venezuela on March 9, his stock quickly rose. Obviously, it wasn't the 22 strikes he threw in the 51-pitch outing that was grabbing the attention of scouts. Instead it was the 96 mph fastball that helped him make Major Leaguers Bobby Abreu, Marco Scutaro, Ramon Hernandez and Magglio Ordonez his strikeout victims.
With Australia manager Jon Deeble being a Red Sox scout, Boston certainly had a chance. But with the Aussie's pitching coach being Phil Dale, a longtime Braves scout, Atlanta also had an inside track.
The day after burning the radar guns against the Venezuelans, Moylan, accompanied by Dale, came to Braves camp and met with assistant general manager Dayton Moore and director of Minor League operations J.J. Picollo. The tattooed hurler immediately gained a trust factor with Moore and Picollo.
"[The Braves] promote from within, whereas the Red Sox don't," said Moylan, who says he reads MLB.com regularly and was quite aware of the fact the Braves used 18 different rookies on the way to a record 14th consecutive division title last year.
When Moylan last pitched in the Minors, he was a teenager whose overhand delivery created fastballs that weren't clocked any higher than 89 mph. It wasn't until six months ago, while throwing with some teammates in the outfield, that he found the magical success created by the sidearm delivery.
Looking for a delivery that would prevent another back injury, he found a fastball that may deliver him to the Majors and prevent him from returning to his job as a pharmaceutical salesman in Australia.
Just as impressive was the fact that he immediately showed command with his changeup and slider, a pitch he used to get Dane Sardinha to look at strike three in Saturday's sixth inning.
"Still to this day, I don't know how it's happened," Moylan said. "It was surprising. I had success with it right away, except in the World Baseball Classic."
It wasn't until Moylan displayed the new fastball in the Claxton Shield, an Australian club state tournament held just seven weeks ago, that the Australians even thought about placing him on the national team.
If he gets a chance, Cox would like to get a few more looks at Moylan in Spring Training. The Braves will send him to Double-A Mississippi or Triple-A Richmond to begin this season.
Thomson looking for consistency: John Thomson began Saturday's game against the Reds with two scoreless innings. But by the time he completed his five-inning assignment, he'd allowed four earned runs and nine hits.
Thomson's problems against the Reds came from the fact that he was unable to keep the ball down in the zone. Through his first four Grapefruit League starts, he's compiled 14 innings, allowed 23 hits and surrendered 12 earned runs.
"They say that numbers don't matter," Thomson said. "But I think they do. There isn't a lot of emphasis on them. But you want something positive in your head going out of Spring Training."
Thomson, who hasn't been bothered by the finger injury that caused him to spend three months on the disabled list last year, will make two more exhibition starts before the regular season begins.
Injury update: Wilson Betemit had a setback, and his strained right rib cage will cause him to miss a few more days. At the earliest, he could return to the lineup on Wednesday, which is also the projected date for Marcus Giles' return.
Betemit, who has hit .464 this spring, suffered the injury while taking batting practice from the left side of the plate on Tuesday. He aggravated the injury while taking swings from the right side.
"It feels a little better [Saturday]," Betemit said.
Giles hasn't played since feeling discomfort in his shoulder while attempting to swing at a pitch on Tuesday night. The Braves aren't overly concerned with the injury. But they'll leave him behind while going to Jupiter to play the Cardinals the next two days.
Source: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Six months ago, Peter Moylan was just some baseball-loving Aussie playing once a week for some Australian club team named the Blackburn Orioles.
If the nearly unbelievable current chapter of his life goes according to his wishes, he'll soon be bringing his sidearm delivery and 96 mph fastball to the Braves' bullpen.
"I know I have the stuff to make it," said Moylan, a 27-year-old right-hander who signed a Minor League contract with the Braves on March 11, two days after making quite an impression with Team Australia in the World Baseball Classic.
Having already heard glowing remarks from his team's scouts and player development department, Braves manager Bobby Cox got his first chance to see Moylan during Saturday's 10-6 win over the Reds at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex.
"The Australian looked all right," said Cox after seeing Moylan allow one run, four hits and not issue a walk in two innings. "He's got a nice breaking ball and a changeup. He's a good sign[ing]. It's not like it cost us a fortune or anything."
Moylan, who had major back surgeries in 2001 and '03, hasn't appeared in the Minors since 1997, when he went 4-2 and posted a 4.05 ERA for the Twins' rookie-level team. But at a cost of just $30,000, he's certainly worth the almost non-existent risk the Braves have taken.
"There's obviously a lot of guys in the big leagues that don't have the stuff he has," Atlanta assistant general manager Frank Wren said. "But you've still got to produce at this level."
After Moylan allowed one hit, issued five walks and recorded four strikeouts against Venezuela on March 9, his stock quickly rose. Obviously, it wasn't the 22 strikes he threw in the 51-pitch outing that was grabbing the attention of scouts. Instead it was the 96 mph fastball that helped him make Major Leaguers Bobby Abreu, Marco Scutaro, Ramon Hernandez and Magglio Ordonez his strikeout victims.
With Australia manager Jon Deeble being a Red Sox scout, Boston certainly had a chance. But with the Aussie's pitching coach being Phil Dale, a longtime Braves scout, Atlanta also had an inside track.
The day after burning the radar guns against the Venezuelans, Moylan, accompanied by Dale, came to Braves camp and met with assistant general manager Dayton Moore and director of Minor League operations J.J. Picollo. The tattooed hurler immediately gained a trust factor with Moore and Picollo.
"[The Braves] promote from within, whereas the Red Sox don't," said Moylan, who says he reads MLB.com regularly and was quite aware of the fact the Braves used 18 different rookies on the way to a record 14th consecutive division title last year.
When Moylan last pitched in the Minors, he was a teenager whose overhand delivery created fastballs that weren't clocked any higher than 89 mph. It wasn't until six months ago, while throwing with some teammates in the outfield, that he found the magical success created by the sidearm delivery.
Looking for a delivery that would prevent another back injury, he found a fastball that may deliver him to the Majors and prevent him from returning to his job as a pharmaceutical salesman in Australia.
Just as impressive was the fact that he immediately showed command with his changeup and slider, a pitch he used to get Dane Sardinha to look at strike three in Saturday's sixth inning.
"Still to this day, I don't know how it's happened," Moylan said. "It was surprising. I had success with it right away, except in the World Baseball Classic."
It wasn't until Moylan displayed the new fastball in the Claxton Shield, an Australian club state tournament held just seven weeks ago, that the Australians even thought about placing him on the national team.
If he gets a chance, Cox would like to get a few more looks at Moylan in Spring Training. The Braves will send him to Double-A Mississippi or Triple-A Richmond to begin this season.
Thomson looking for consistency: John Thomson began Saturday's game against the Reds with two scoreless innings. But by the time he completed his five-inning assignment, he'd allowed four earned runs and nine hits.
Thomson's problems against the Reds came from the fact that he was unable to keep the ball down in the zone. Through his first four Grapefruit League starts, he's compiled 14 innings, allowed 23 hits and surrendered 12 earned runs.
"They say that numbers don't matter," Thomson said. "But I think they do. There isn't a lot of emphasis on them. But you want something positive in your head going out of Spring Training."
Thomson, who hasn't been bothered by the finger injury that caused him to spend three months on the disabled list last year, will make two more exhibition starts before the regular season begins.
Injury update: Wilson Betemit had a setback, and his strained right rib cage will cause him to miss a few more days. At the earliest, he could return to the lineup on Wednesday, which is also the projected date for Marcus Giles' return.
Betemit, who has hit .464 this spring, suffered the injury while taking batting practice from the left side of the plate on Tuesday. He aggravated the injury while taking swings from the right side.
"It feels a little better [Saturday]," Betemit said.
Giles hasn't played since feeling discomfort in his shoulder while attempting to swing at a pitch on Tuesday night. The Braves aren't overly concerned with the injury. But they'll leave him behind while going to Jupiter to play the Cardinals the next two days.
Source: http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/
