For
the week of :
August 16, 2004
Interview with John
Van Benschoten
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Minor League Ramblings is produced by Bill Mitchell for Minor League Watch.
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Van Benschoten --- a name
to remember John Van Benschoten has worked hard to get where he's at today, making his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates. But excelling at the game of baseball hasn't been the only challenge he's faced throughout his 24 years.
Van Benschoten has had at least one other difficult burden to bear since birth. "It was hard growing up and trying to spell my last name," said the Pirates' top prospect, laughing. "If (fans) ever wonder whether I had trouble, yeah, I did." The daily chore of being certain that his name is spelled correctly (he has to make sure there's a blank space between the "Van" and the "Benschoten") hasn't distracted the 24-year-old right-hander from advancing rapidly through the Pittsburgh system. Van Benschoten was recalled from AAA Nashville today to make his big league debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It's been a short trip since the Pirates selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 2001 draft. The 6'4", 210 pound pitcher began his career in the short season New York / Pennsylvania League shortly after being drafted, advanced to low A Hickory the next year, and then split the 2003 season between high A and AA. He compiled a sterling 24-12 record in those three seasons with a cumulative 3.02 ERA, numbers that indicate that the Pirates made a wise choice in picking Van Benschoten with their first choice. However, if he hadn't been drafted by the Pittsburgh organization, Van Benschoten might instead be slugging homeruns and chasing fly balls. Van Benschoten was a two-way star at Kent State University; most other clubs regarded him more highly as a slugging outfielder coming into the 2001 draft. The Pirates surprised the baseball world by announcing that the Cincinnati native would instead join their organization as a pitcher. It's a decision that Van Benschoten does not regret. "Everybody wishes they could be a hitter," he replied when asked about the decision to have him concentrate on pitching, but then continued, "Obviously I think it's the right decision so far." Despite having less than a full season above the class A level, Van Benschoten started the 2004 season with the Pirates' AAA affiliate in Nashville. He struggled at first, losing his first four decisions before righting the ship. At the time of his call-up to Pittsburgh, the big right-hander had a 4-11 record with a 4.72 ERA. Van Benschoten learned some valuable lessons during his early season struggles.
"You've just got to trust your stuff and keep plugging," he said. "They're not all going to be like that. You've just got to go out there and think you can deal every outing ... you can't go in there with a fear of the batters ...you've just got to go out there and thank you can throw a no-hitter every day." Van Benschoten knows what he needs to improve to get to the big league level for good. "Just consistency," he answered. "Every fifth day just going out and having your best stuff. That's all it takes." He makes pitching through the tough times sound so simple. The same approach applies to his strengths. When asked what his best pitch is right now, Van Benschoten replied, "All of them. Sometimes all of them get hit, too." If not for a cruel twist of fate, Van Benschoten could be in Athens, Greece pitching for the USA team in the Olympics. He was part of the team representing the nation in last year's Olympic qualifying tournament, hurling three scoreless relief innings in the losing game against Mexico that knocked the United States out of the tournament. He fondly remembers his time with Team USA. "It was fun to play with a different bunch of guys," said Van Benschoten. "It was all of bunch of up-and-comers ... probably almost half of them are already in the big leagues this year." Does Van Benschoten wish that he could be representing his country in the Olympics right now? "It's obviously in the past," he answered. "It hurt at the time, but baseball's a funny game. That kind of stuff happens. Even the best teams lose." --- Bill Mitchell |
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