Closing mentality
Generals' pitcher has found niche finishing games
Pitcher Blake Ford pitches in a game against the McKinney Marshals on Friday. Ford lost the 4-2 decision to the Marshals.
Print- •
-
Share
- Share this item
-
Grab the link
Copy and paste the link:
- Blog about it
- Close
- •
-
Post a Comment
- •
Favorite- •
Closers are a different breed. They are head cases because they can be unhittable one minute and unable to throw strikes the next. They thrive under pressure. But no matter who they are or what style they have, the team trusts them in crunch time to secure the win.
That's what Zachary Nuding wants.
The burly, 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound fireballer from Weatherford College has been exclusively a pitcher for only two years, but he's pretty sure he found his role.
"I love closing," Nuding said. "The pressure is on your shoulders, the game is in your hands. It's a culmination of the entire game and they give you the ball and tell you, 'Get the job done.'"
Nuding, who will be a sophomore, actually thinks his relative inexperience will be a strength as he develops as a pitcher.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and other major league teams feel the same. The Pirates selected him in the 37th round of the 2009 MLB draft. Because he has only been pitching regularly for two seasons, Nuding has not developed many of the bad habits of lifetime pitchers, and he said the Pirates want to use his size and arm strength to mold him into a great prospect.
"I'm still raw, so they don't need to break me down and build me back up, because I'm still building up," he said.
Nuding still recognizes the development that he needs before he can make it in the major leagues, and he said there is no better learning tool than Generals coach Chris Clemons, who pitched in the majors during his career.
"The potential for him is endless," Clemons said. "That's what the pro scouts like, that's what they see. He is here to work on things, become more consistent, and be dominant like he should be.
"And he's jumping in. He's eager to get better."
Specifically, Nuding wants to improve his pitches and his stamina. With a four-pitch arsenal of a four-seam and two-seam fastball, a slider and a changeup, Nuding has variety, but wants to have better balance and not rely so heavily on his four-seam, which he considers his out pitch.
"I like my four-seam, that's my favorite and as long as it's working and they can't hit it, there's no need to go away from it," he said. "But I want to improve my offspeed pitches in case it isn't working."
Nuding's pitches have been clocked in the mid-90s, but he said his velocity still could improve. And even though stamina is not as important for relievers as starters, he said building his endurance was crucial in case his role changes.
"Even as a reliever, I may be called upon for multiple innings and to go a long time," he said.
But Nuding is equally grateful for what Clemons is teaching him about life.
"It's not just what I'm learning on the field," Nuding said. "There are subtle things like the way to dress and the way to act, and (Clemons is) teaching me how to carry myself."
Although he has been drafted, Nuding may not end up in the Pirates system, at least not this year. Unlike the NFL and NBA drafts, baseball players who are drafted have a variety of options. They could sign with the team that drafted them, stay or enroll in college or sign later in the year.
Nuding did not pitch in the Generals' game against the McKinney Marshals (7-14) on Friday at Riverside Stadium. The Generals (13-8) lost the game 4-2, but Nuding has accumulated a 2.53 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings in 2009.
He said a lot of what the Pirates will do depends on his performance with the Generals, which has given him added motivation.
"They said they want a little more time to watch me and see how I do," he said. "The only thing I really talked to them about is continuing to work hard in summerball and then figuring out where we go from there after the summer.
"They could offer me money at the end of the summer or the end of the year or they could pass on me and I could get drafted again later."
Regardless of what happens this season, Nuding sees himself in the majors eventually, and in the meantime his focus is on constantly improving.
"The ultimate goal is to be a major league player," he said. "Hopefully in a few years I'll be out of the minors and in the bigs and being a closer. I think that's where I have a future, but I'll do anything and work in whatever role I can make it in. Starter, middle reliever, closer. I'm just looking for the next door to open."
