PENDLETON — Brock Huntzinger was in Fort Myers, Fla., on Monday, but he wasn’t relaxing on the beach.
The former Pendleton Heights ace pitcher was checking in with Boston Red Sox brass as part of routine offseason procedure.
“They want to make sure we’re not getting too far out of shape,” Huntzinger said before laughing during a cell phone interview.
Boston must be pleased with what it’s seen so far. Drafted as a high school senior in the third round of the June 2007 amateur draft, Huntzinger has made slow and steady progress through the Red Sox organization.
He was 10-9 with a 4.01 ERA with the Greenville Drive of the low Class A South Atlantic League this summer, but those aren’t the numbers Boston’s front office will be focusing on.
Huntzinger threw a career-high 125 1/3 innings and posted a 3.19 strikeout-to-walk ratio (102 strikeouts, 32 walks).
“In spring training, (the Red Sox) have meetings with all of us,” he said. “They let you know what to expect, what they want each person to do. They told me they wanted me to throw 120-130 innings, somewhere in there.”
Huntzinger threw just 68 2/3 innings while carving out a 7-3 record and 3.15 ERA in 14 combined starts at short-season Lowell and Greenville in 2008. After a 5-0 start — with a 0.64 ERA — at Lowell, the 6-foot-3 right-hander wore out in an August promotion to Greenville.
This summer, however, Huntzinger felt strong throughout. He chalked that up to experience.
“I was just used to it,” he said. “I’d been through my first full season, and I knew what to expect.”
A power pitcher in high school, Huntzinger has been developing a changeup since joining the Red Sox. He’s lost a little velocity on his fastball, topping out at 92 mph in 2008 after hitting 95 as an Arabian, but Boston expects that to return as he becomes more comfortable with a change in mechanics.
His out pitch has been a biting slider that has overmatched South Atlantic League hitters. In fact, Huntzinger was named the SAL Pitcher of the Week for July 27 to Aug. 2. It’s the third time he’s won his league’s honor as a pro.
“It was a good season,” he said. “The biggest part of it was just staying healthy and putting innings on my arm.”
If his progression continues as it has the past two seasons, Huntzinger expects to open 2010 with the Salem Red Sox of the high Class A Carolina League.
He’ll begin playing catch around the first of the year and return to Fort Myers sometime in late January to prepare for spring training.
“I like to get down here a little early,” Huntzinger said. “It’s kind of hard to get out and throw (in Indiana) when it’s 20 degrees.”
His goals for next season have a similar ring.
“I want to stay healthy,” he said. “Chew up innings, I think they want me to get to 140, 150. Just get better. I have to keep learning and keep building off of last year.”
Local Sports
Related Photos
-
Don Knight
Discussion
Huntzinger’s progress continues with BoSox
Former Pendleton Heights ace went 10-9 in Class A this summer
- Local Sports
-
-
Triumphant Tribe
Seventeen years of frustration and disappointment for the Anderson Indians baseball team ended in a jubilant dog pile atop junior pitcher Curtis Wilson on Monday night at Pendleton Heights’ Field of Dreams.
-
Argylls squeeze into crown
Madison-Grant coach Ben Rodriguez liked his squeeze play so much that he called it again in the pivotal inning of the Class 2A, Sectional 39 championship game at Eastern High School on Monday night in Greentown.
-
Bulldogs’ comeback falls just short
Not even a heroic seventh-inning rally could save the Lapel baseball team in the Class 2A sectional title game at Frankton on Monday afternoon. The Bulldogs scored four runs in the seventh inning but still came up a run short as the Wapahani Raiders won the championship 9-8.
-
Tribe rallies past Pendleton Heights into final
This is the stuff of legend.
The kind of game that defines a rivalry.
The kind of victory that breathes new life into a program.
And the kind of defeat that won’t ever be forgotten. -
Tyler runs away with second Little 500 win
Deuces were wild at the 64th running of the Pay Less Little 500 as Brian Tyler recorded his second win and brought team owner Larry Contos win No. 2 at Anderson Speedway.
-
Rick Teverbaugh: Spectacle lacking on local TV
The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, on television, is a myth in its own backyard.
-
Tipton bedevils Madison-Grant
The Madison-Grant softball team dug a deep hole on Friday night in the championship game of the Class 2A, Sectional 39 at Eastern High School in Greentown. Trailing 5-0 after four innings, the Argylls scratched their way back into the game, but were on the short end of a 5-4 decision against the Tipton Blue Devils.
-
Nominate an athlete for Madison County Area's 100 Greatest Athletes book
Nominate an athlete to be included in The Herald Bulletin's coffee table book, "The Madison County Area's 100 Greatest Athletes."
-
Indians’ Dabney headed to state
The North Central Boys Track Regional is traditionally one of the toughest in the state with powerhouses Lawrence Central, Ben Davis, Pike and the host Panthers among the competitors
But that didn’t faze Anderson senior Derrick Dabney, who turned in two brilliant performances in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles at Thursday’s regional to advance to the state meet at Indiana University in Bloomington next Saturday. -
Roller coaster ride comes to end for Lapel
The Lapel Bulldogs couldn’t overcome one more hurdle in their roller-coaster season on Thursday as they fell to Wapahani 4-1 in the softball championship game of the Class 2A, Sectional 40 at Shenandoah High School.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-
