Bill Mitchell's Minor League Ramblings

Minor League Ramblings

For the week of :
July 28, 2003

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

Cubs' Bay dominating AZ League hitters
August 2, 2003

Ronald Bay

Ronald Bay's lifelong nickname of "Bear" is deceiving, considering the Cubs' rookie level pitcher's physical appearance. At 6'2" and a slender 170 pounds, Bay could hardly be considered very "bear-like."

Try telling that to the Arizona League opponents that have had to face the Houston native this summer.

Bay has arguably been the league's most effective pitcher in his debut professional season. After seven appearances, the product of Angelina (Texas) Junior College has a 6-0 record with a league-leading 1.37 ERA. In 39 1/3 innings, the 19-year-old right-hander has struck out 49 batters while walking only seven.

His most recent outing, last Saturday night against the Brewers, was Bay's most impressive to date. He pitched six scoreless, no-hit innings, striking out nine batters, and earned his league-leading sixth win.

The numbers don't tell the entire story of Bear Bay. It's very clear how much the personable young Texan enjoys pitching. Bay sprints out to the mound each inning, as if he can't wait to get out there and start pitching again.

"I love pitching," said Bay, enthusiastically. "Like last night (last Saturday's start), everything was working right. It was a good feeling ... I came in and said, 'I love doing this.'"

Cubs' pitching coach Rick Tronerud added his opinion about Bay's zest for the game, stating, "It's pleasant to watch him throw. He mixes his pitches well and commands them."

The fact that Bay was not a heralded prospect coming into his initial professional season makes his performance even more impressive. He was selected by the Cubs in the 25th round of the June 2002 free agent draft, but returned to Angelina Junior College for a second season before joining the Cubs this summer as a "draft and follow" signing.

Bay believes that going to Angelina was a smart move on his part. "Your signability is better," he said, "because if you go to a four-year university, you don't get seen until your sophomore or junior year. You don't have a whole lot of bargaining power. With junior college, they (pro scouts) see you that first year, you get drafted and they follow you ... going to junior college helps a lot."

Ronald Bay

The lanky right-hander has been getting Arizona League hitters out with a battery of effective pitches.

"My changeup has gotten really, really good since I've been here," replied Bay in his slight Texas drawl when asked his best pitch. "I've been working on it the past two years ... but lately it's been really good."

Bay's fastball has generally been in the 88-92 MPH range in recent games, topping out at 95 in his third start.

Tronerud sees even bigger things ahead for Bay due to his ability to learn. "In practice, he takes what he learns into the game," said the Cubs' pitching coach. "He's very respectful and a hard worker."

Bay attributes his strong character and work ethic to his solid family background. "My family has been a huge part of my life," he said. "They've supported me through my whole life. I could never repay them for everything they've done."

The graduate of Houston's Northshore High School knows he has plenty of hard work ahead as he progresses through the Cubs' minor league system. When asked what he needs to improve, Bay quickly answered, "Consistency ... low pitch count ... getting my pitch count down a little bit."

Tronerud believes that Bay's weaknesses are few at this point. "Mechanically we're working on a few little issues, as far as staying back and shortening his stride," he said. "Other than that, he's doing well."

Bay acknowledged that he needs to get stronger. It's a challenge that he's faced all of his life. He's often been told that he's not big enough to something. "That motivates me a lot when people don't expect me to do things," he said. "I work out and I do them ... I exceed their expectations. That's how I've proven myself."

His off-season goal is to become a little more bear-like. "I'm going to work hard on getting my lower body big, gain 15 to 20 pounds and come back throwing harder," said Bay.

That could be a scary thought for opposing batters.

--- Bill Mitchell