Life in the minor leagues can change for any player Baseball America rates as the top prospect in an organization. Pitcher Collin Balester experienced the increased attention when he moved to the top of BA’s list for the Washington Nationals this offseason.
“Everyone always asks me how that changes stuff, and I really don’t think it is that big of a deal,” Balester said. “If I was No. 100 or No. 1, it doesn’t really matter. You’ve still got to do the work, and you’ve still got to go out there and perform. It’s nice to know people think highly of me, but it doesn’t really matter.”
After a bit of a rough year in 2006, Balester is starting to harness the potential people in the baseball community have seen in him and produce results befitting a top prospect. Despite being one of the youngest players in Class AA, Balester — who turned 21 earlier this month — has been Harrisburg’s top pitcher.
His 2-5 record doesn’t reflect how well he has pitched. Balester boasts a 3.43 ERA and 67 strikeouts against 19 walks in 811/3 innings. He was the lone Nationals prospect picked yesterday for the All-Star Futures Game in San Francisco on July 8.
“He’s making tremendous strides at learning how to pitch,” Senators pitching coach Rick Tomlin said. “I am very pleased with his development. For a guy of his age and relative inexperience, what he has accomplished here is tremendous.”
Balester’s improvement started during the second half of last season. He had a plus-5.00 ERA in 23 appearances with high Class A Potomac, but part of that was attributed to some early season tinkering with his mechanics.
Once Balester returned to how he had pitched before the start of 2006, his performance improved, and he earned a late promotion to Harrisburg. His 1.83 ERA in 192/3 innings helped prove he belonged.
“It wasn’t really a big deal, but my arm wasn’t really catching up to the mechanics they were trying to teach me, so I was leaving the ball up, and the result was I was getting hit around the park,” Balester said. “Now I am back to drop-and-drive and it is working. It has worked for me my whole life. I just feel comfortable out there without anyone trying to mess with me.”
Another part of the equation for Balester was his work this offseason. While he might always be tall and lanky, the 6-foot-5 Balester is starting to fill out and grow into his body.
“I am just pleased because all of the hard work I did in the offseason is paying off,” Balester said. “From the end of the year until about January I just worked out and did some running. From February on I did yoga and some long toss. It really helped a lot with my flexibility and just staying mentally tough and all that stuff.”
Those who envision Balester at or near the front of the Nationals’ rotation need to be patient because he has some work left to do. He has never thrown more than 138 innings in a season, but he is on pace to surpass that total easily.
Despite 12 strikeouts and only two walks in his past two starts, he has allowed four earned runs in each of them. Balester said his change-up — a pitch he rarely used before two seasons ago — is much improved to the point where he feels his curveball has lagged behind at times.
However, it is clear that if he continues to develop at his current pace, Balester will be making his big league debut sometime in the next 12 months.
“If you ask me what’s the best trait about Collin Balester that I like is he has no fear,” Tomlin said. “If you ask me what the second thing is, his brain is like a sponge. He believes in what he’s doing, and he wants to get better, so he doesn’t have a lot of garbage going around [in his head] that gets in the way.
“He’s like a sponge. Everything we work on, he soaks in and listens and applies it. Those are the two biggest traits that have enabled him to progress as far he has. For me, he has progressed tremendously.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.