Published: July 01, 2009 11:20 am      

Minor League Baseball: Hart is still pumping out the strikes

Former Bobcat hurler shining in the minors

Michael Hart has what every pitcher needs — confidence.

Hart didn’t just find the well-spring of hubris, rather he’s had it throughout his baseball career.

When Hart pitched for Texas State from 2006-08, he was one of the fiercest competitors on the mound. There were times when Hart almost convinced Bobcat head coach Ty Harrington to leave him in the game even when Harrington knew better.

“Most starting pitchers don’t want to come out,” Harrington said. “Thats what makes Mike similar to all the other great pitchers I coached. They didn’t want to come out.

“There were a couple times when I had to come get him and he fought me tooth-and-nail that he didn’t want to come out. I just had to keep looking at the bullpen or the ground because I knew he’d win the argument.”

Hart’s conviction not only made it tough for him to be pulled, but locked him in as a weekend starter.

While at Texas State, Hart compiled a 19-10 record. He was moved from the bullpen midway through his freshman season and stuck in the rotation ever since.

Hart’s junior season was a thing of mastery, as he went 7-3 with 89 strikeouts. The hurler from Staten Island, NY, pitched well enough to be drafted by the Oakland Athletics and soon signed.

“Looking back on it, I’d like to have stayed for my senior season, but for me, it was best that I signed at that time,” Hart said. “Even though I looked back at how they did this year (NCAA Tournament), I couldn’t be upset because I made the best decision for myself.”

Hart’s decision has paid off so far and not only in terms of a lucrative signing bonus.

After signing with Oakland, he went to play for the Vancouver Canadians, a short-season team in the Northwest League. Hart isn’t a dominant pitcher with overpowering stuff, so Vancouver moved him back to the bullpen.

While Hart didn’t get the opportunity to consistently start, he got valuable game experience. He appeared in 15 games (six starts) and posted a 2.52 earned-run average.

“It was definitely a reality check moving to the bullpen,” Hart said. “I hadn’t pitched in relief since my freshman year in college, so I had to recapture that mindset. All I knew was that I had to do my best job to set myself up for the future.”

Hart made enough of an impact in Vancouver that Oakland decided to move him up the ladder.

He packed his bags for Geneva, Ill., where he joined the Kane County Cougars (low-A ball). Hart’s body and mind would be tested — a collegiate season lasts 45 games, while the Cougars have already played 74.

Hart conditioned his body for the move with a tough off-season workout regimen and prepared for the long haul. He also needed to get used to the difference in talent.

“Hitters are a lot more patient up here,” Hart said. “They’ll wait for you to make a mistake and then pound it. I could get away with hanging a slider in college and rookie ball, but here I won’t get that pitch back.”

Hart has been able to limit his mistake pitches with Kane County, as he’s only given up one home run. More importantly, his strikeout numbers are up, as he’s struck out 23 in 24 innings so far.

Hart’s confidence in himself as a pitcher originiates in his ability to strike hitters out.

He always had a tremendous slider, which he used as an “out pitch” in college and began to develop a change-up while in Vancouver. Hart can locate his fastball, but must bring the curveball into the zone more often.

“The biggest thing keeping me from advancing right now is my consistency,” Hart said. “I’ve talked with several people in the organization and they love that I can throw three pitches for strikes.

“This organization is all about throwing strikes and I can do that. Once I get that fourth pitch in for strikes, there’s no question I’ll be able to move up.”

If Hart’s command won’t keep him back, it might be his health.

Overuse took a toll on Hart’s shoulder, as he found himself on the disabled list for the last two weeks.

Hart recently went through with several MRIs to find out if it’s going to require surgery.

Hart’s a competitor and there’s no doubt every minute he spends on the bench is one he’d rather be in the bullpen, or better yet — on the mound.

“It’s tough coming to the field every day knowing I can’t pitch,” Hart said. “At least it happened early in my career so I can put this behind me and move forward.”