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Giants not shy about putting Cain on the
fast track San Francisco's top pitching prospect Matt Cain is on the doorstep of the big leagues just three years after graduating from high school.
The fact that he's pitching in AAA at the age of 20 could be a bit overwhelming. But it doesn't seem to bother the right-hander from Memphis in the least. "I've always set high goals and try to reach them as quickly as I can," said Cain. "It's not too out of reach ... I think I can compete here and do well." Indeed, Cain is doing well in his fourth professional season, just like in the prior three years since the Giants choose him with their first pick (25th overall) in the 2002 draft. What's even more impressive is that last season was really the first full year completed by Cain. After pitching eight games in 2002 in his rookie league season in Arizona, he missed half of 2003 due to a stress fracture in his right elbow. In 14 starts with Low A Hagerstown, Cain posted a 2.55 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 74 innings.His most important lessons learned may have come during the time he was back in Arizona re-habilitating the elbow. "A lot more mechanics and a whole lot of patience," answered Cain when asked what he gained from his down time in 2003. "Being back in Arizona for the second year in a row ... and being hurt, it's worse than being there playing. When you play, you're able to get your frustration out ... I learned how to be patient with my body and to be patient mentally." Cain really started to open eyes with his performance in 2004. After an outstanding start with High A San Jose (7-1, 1.86, 89/17 K/BB), the Memphis native moved up to AA while still only 19. At Norwich, Cain continued to pitch well, with a 6-4 record and 3.35 ERA before tiring near the end of the season.
Rather than returning him to AA for the start of the 2005 season, the Giants continued challenging Cain by placing him with AAA Fresno. Despite being three years younger than the next oldest teammate, Cain is arguably the ace of the Grizzlies staff. After seven starts, he has a 3-1 record with an impressive 3.79 in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Two recent rough outings have skewed Cain's numbers to date. But he believes that those bad games will help his development in the long run. "I struggled, not throwing strikes, and I'm definitely learning from that," remarked Cain. "I didn't have my best stuff ... my fastball that I usually have. I should have turned around and pitched backwards, but I didn't. That's something I can build on for later in the year because it's going to happen again." Cain knows he still has plenty of time to make it to the big leagues. He realizes that he would still be in school if he had gone to college rather than directly to the Giants out of high school. He doesn't regret that decision, as being in professional baseball has allowed him to mature as a person. "All I knew was going to school 7:15 to 2:15, then going from there to the field," said Cain. "Now I'm on my own. It's kind of an experience and I like it a lot. It's a lot of fun." --- Bill Mitchell |
