Bill Mitchell's Minor League Ramblings

Minor League Ramblings

For the week of :
July 7, 2003

Minor League Ramblings is produced by Bill Mitchell for Minor League Watch.

Harden in final stages of fast track to the big leagues
July 10, 2003

Rich Harden

Few professional baseball prospects have advanced through the minor league system as quickly as Oakland A's right-handed pitcher Rich Harden.

What makes Harden's fast trip even more unlikely is his background: the native Canadian grew up a hockey fan, played the outfield for most of his youth baseball career, and wasn't signed by the first team to draft the current Sacramento RiverCat hurler.

"Really, it's kind of unexpected," Harden remarked about his rapid ascent through the Oakland farm system. "I didn't really expect to be this high this fast. I go out there every day, be aggressive and pitch my game ... and things have been working out in my favor."

To say that things have worked in his favor has to be the understatement of the year. But that's typical for Harden, considering his humble nature.

The 21-year-old right-hander was first selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 38th round of the 1999 draft. The scout who referred him to the Mariners recommended to Harden that he look into the excellent baseball program in distant Central Arizona Junior College after Seattle showed little interest in signing him.

"They were kind of iffy on me," Harden said about the Mariners organization. "Really, I wasn't ready at that point. I hadn't been a pitcher that long. I was a center fielder. I needed the experience. It helped me out a lot."

"He (the scout) said it was a good program," commented Harden about Central Arizona, "and had a good pitching program. So I checked it out and went there."

Seattle still wasn't interested in signing Harden after his first junior college season. He went back into the draft and, this time, was selected in the 17th round by Oakland. Harden returned for a second season at Central Arizona and led all junior college pitchers in strikeouts, then signed with the Athletics in May of 2001 as a "draft and follow."

Harden's minor league career started with a bang; the 6'1", 180 pound led the Northwest League in strikeouts, fanning 100 in 74 innings while compiling a 3.34 ERA for the A's Vancouver affiliate.

Harden doing his bullpen work during 2003 spring training

He continued his overwhelming success in 2002, his first full minor league season. Harden dominated in the high Class A California League, putting up a 2.93 ERA in 12 starts, with 85 strikeouts in 68 innings.

The A's challenged Harden midway through the 2002 season, promoting the then 20-year-old to AA Midland. Harden was up to the task, going 8-3 with a 2.95 ERA in 16 starts. He added to his prolific strikeout totals by whiffing another 102 batters in 85 innings.

Harden spent most of spring training with the parent club before returning to Midland for the start of the 2003 regular season. He overmatched opposing batters in his two AA starts, twirling 13 perfect innings --- 39 batters up and 39 down --- before moving on to class AAA Sacramento.

He may not be in AAA much longer. In his first 15 outings for Sacramento, Harden has posted a 9-4 record, 3.18 ERA, and 91 strikeouts in 87 2/3 innings. Reports from Oakland indicate that the parent club may be close to bringing Harden up to the big leagues soon.

Is Harden ready for the pressure of joining the Athletics' Big Three (Zito, Hudson and Mulder)?

"I've always been somebody that's been under the radar and not gotten that much attention," replied Harden. "I kind of enjoy that. But, with the attention, there is a little more pressure. At the beginning of the season I felt that a little bit, but I'm getting adjusted to it and it's not something that I really think about. I've put it to the back of my head."

Rich Harden watching a recent game in Tucson with fellow Sacramento teammates

It's apparent that Harden is mentally ready for the challenge of pitching in the major leagues. Judging from the way he's breezed through the minor leagues, one would think that, from a pitching standpoint, he's ready to make the jump. Despite possessing a mid-90s fastball and an effective changeup, Harden believes his game still has room for improvement.

"It's a combination of things," Harden answered, then mentioned several areas in which he wants to elevate his skills, "...my fast ball command and getting some quicker outs. I have a tendency to get deep in the counts and throw too many pitches. We're on a strict pitch count, so I don't exactly go that far into my games. I come out pretty early based on my pitch count."

When he finally gets to the Oakland starting rotation, will success change this personable, mild-mannered young man from British Columbia?

"Not at all," Harden replied, quickly. "I won't change one bit."

--- Bill Mitchell