http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100916&content_id=14750242&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
09/17/10 10:00 AM ET
Latos has come a long way in a short time
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
ST. LOUIS -- It was a humid afternoon in Atlanta four years ago when Padres pitcher Mat Latos, 19 at the time, introduced himself to the organization with a bullpen session that can best be described as less than idyllic.
Actually, Latos, as brutally honest and unabashed as they come, has a much better word for it.
"I was pretty horrible, I'm not going to lie," Latos said earlier this week when asked to recall that afternoon in May 2007 at Turner Field.
At the time of the bullpen session, Latos wasn't yet a member of the organization. But since he was picked in the 11th round of the 2006 Draft under the since abolished draft-and-follow rules, the Padres had until that June that year to sign him.
So they flew Latos from his home in Florida to Atlanta to throw a bullpen, get a look at what life was like in the Major Leagues, and, as luck would have it, to have the best Swiss and mushroom hamburger he's ever had in his life.
Even now, for all that he has accomplished in a short time, Latos, who is now 22, said he won't forget that day in Atlanta -- his de facto introduction to the Padres and, in turn, their first look at a very bright future in the making.
But first, about that bullpen session ...
"He was nervous, trying to overthrow ... but I get that. He's got the pitching coach, the GM, as well as the manager watching him," said former Padres general manager Kevin Towers, who watched the session with manager Bud Black and pitching coach Darren Balsley and other members of the front office.
"I think the biggest thing that day was seeing the look on his face while he's out there in the outfield hanging out with Trevor [Hoffman], with Heath [Bell] and [Greg] Maddux. Now look at him. Four years later, he is one of the elite pitches in the National League."
Latos' rise from that nerve-wracking bullpen session to reaching the Major Leagues last season to where he is today -- one of the top young arms in the National League, let alone the Major Leagues -- has certainly been a meteoric ascension.
Latos -- who last week had his Major League record streak of 15 consecutive starts with two or fewer runs end -- will take the mound on Friday when the Padres, in the thick of the National League West pennant race, take on the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Latos has some lofty credentials that go well beyond his 14-6 record and his 2.43 ERA in 27 starts this season. Consider that Latos leads all Major League pitchers in opponent's batting average (.197), opponent's on-base percentage (.254) and baserunners allowed per nine innings (9.02).
"He's pitching with a lot of confidence," Black said. "Mat doesn't scare off easily. He's pitched consistently all year. What you are seeing is a guy with great talent and good stuff."
Consider what Rays manager Joe Maddon had to say in June, after watching Latos throw four pitches for strikes, pitch inside without concern and meticulously work his way through a lineup the way a veteran pitcher would.
"I want to check his birth certificate. I don't think he's 22," Maddon said. "He's one of the better young pitchers I've seen. He has an incredible feel for what he's doing."
And look how fast it's happened. Three years after signing, Latos made the jump from low-Class A Fort Wayne to the Major Leagues in 2009. He has already thrown more innings at the Major League level (217 1/3) than in the Minor Leagues (184 2/3).
Had it not been for a stretch on the disabled list with an oblique strain after the All-Star break and those times when the Padres have given him an extra day between starts here and there to keep his workload in check, Latos might have been in the conversation for the National League Cy Young Award.
As it stands now, Latos is embracing what he can control: his turn every fifth day in the rotation, for a team making a push toward its first postseason appearance since 2006. A team that wouldn't be in this position without Latos.
At 6-feet, 6-inches, Latos, armed with an electric arm and an effusive personality, is no shrinking violet. He stands out with his big right arm and his big personality.
"I love it. I think it's an extra adrenaline kick to us. We wake up every morning and look at it in a day in and day out basis," Latos said. "We are in a pennant race right now. Not very many people, on the broad spectrum, are doing it.
"I'm doing something that I love to do, and we have a chance to go somewhere."
It's certainly been a wild ride for Latos, who doesn't have to think back far to realize just how far he's come since that day in Atlanta.
"I was nervous. Balsley just told me to throw like I throw. So I went out there and tried to throw 100 miles an hour. I think I maybe threw one strike," Latos said. "I almost threw a pitch into left field.
"The other thing that happened was the bullpen catcher at the time; I told him I throw a spike changeup or a drop changeup. He had no chest protector on. The first one I throw, he goes to catch it and it bounces and hits him right in the chest. I was a wreck that day but I was excited at the same time."
Pete DeYoung, the West Coast scouting supervisor for the Padres, was an area scout who covered Georgia, South Carolina and parts of Florida at the time Latos came on the radar.
"When I picked him up at the airport, he had blond, spiky hair and these big headphones on," DeYoung said. "He did not say much initially. We had some time to kill before heading over to Turner Field and he was pretty hungry. So to break the ice, I decided to take him to this burger place near where I lived called the Vortex.
"It's an alternative spot with tattoos and biker gear -- a little bit out there. But they have killer burgers. Mat immediately took to the place and relaxed, and began to open up."
Latos has never been one to suppress his feelings. There have been questions about his maturity since the day the Padres signed him in 2007. He will be the first to admit that when he signed, he was cocky and arrogant. But, he said, this was nothing more than a reflection of the self-confidence he has.
"At the time, it didn't bother me because I was just being myself," Latos said. "When I signed in 2007, there were guys who didn't like me because I was 19 and what I signed for, guys who didn't even know me. How is that fair?
"I was told not to go out and make friends because nine times out of 10 ... those people don't care about you. I just did my own thing."
Latos, who in the past has showed emotion on the mound when things haven't gone his way, has done a better job of compartmentalizing his emotions when pitching. These are the results of having spent time the last two seasons around veterans in the clubhouse -- Jake Peavy, Bell, Chris Young and this season, Jon Garland and Matt Stairs, who at 42, is old enough to be Latos' father.
"I think a lot of the baseball maturity is from the guys I have been around these past two seasons and from listening to what they have to say -- and seeing how a veteran will go about his business," Latos said. "Anyway, I can still be a kid at home."
Yes, Latos has come a long way in four years. In some ways, he's changed and in many he's remained true to himself. He's the first to admit he's nowhere near being a finished product. But he's also 22 and won't shy away from occasionally acting his age -- even if that means still being somewhat in awe of his surroundings.
That was the case in 2007 and still holds true to some extent now.
"One of the best parts about that day in Atlanta was just standing around the outfield. Trevor came over to talk to me and so did Maddux. He was giving me a bunch of crap, asking if I was going to take his job, just messing around. "That was such an unbelievable experience that day, to be out there."
09/17/10 10:00 AM ET
Latos has come a long way in a short time
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
ST. LOUIS -- It was a humid afternoon in Atlanta four years ago when Padres pitcher Mat Latos, 19 at the time, introduced himself to the organization with a bullpen session that can best be described as less than idyllic.
Actually, Latos, as brutally honest and unabashed as they come, has a much better word for it.
"I was pretty horrible, I'm not going to lie," Latos said earlier this week when asked to recall that afternoon in May 2007 at Turner Field.
At the time of the bullpen session, Latos wasn't yet a member of the organization. But since he was picked in the 11th round of the 2006 Draft under the since abolished draft-and-follow rules, the Padres had until that June that year to sign him.
So they flew Latos from his home in Florida to Atlanta to throw a bullpen, get a look at what life was like in the Major Leagues, and, as luck would have it, to have the best Swiss and mushroom hamburger he's ever had in his life.
Even now, for all that he has accomplished in a short time, Latos, who is now 22, said he won't forget that day in Atlanta -- his de facto introduction to the Padres and, in turn, their first look at a very bright future in the making.
But first, about that bullpen session ...
"He was nervous, trying to overthrow ... but I get that. He's got the pitching coach, the GM, as well as the manager watching him," said former Padres general manager Kevin Towers, who watched the session with manager Bud Black and pitching coach Darren Balsley and other members of the front office.
"I think the biggest thing that day was seeing the look on his face while he's out there in the outfield hanging out with Trevor [Hoffman], with Heath [Bell] and [Greg] Maddux. Now look at him. Four years later, he is one of the elite pitches in the National League."
Latos' rise from that nerve-wracking bullpen session to reaching the Major Leagues last season to where he is today -- one of the top young arms in the National League, let alone the Major Leagues -- has certainly been a meteoric ascension.
Latos -- who last week had his Major League record streak of 15 consecutive starts with two or fewer runs end -- will take the mound on Friday when the Padres, in the thick of the National League West pennant race, take on the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Latos has some lofty credentials that go well beyond his 14-6 record and his 2.43 ERA in 27 starts this season. Consider that Latos leads all Major League pitchers in opponent's batting average (.197), opponent's on-base percentage (.254) and baserunners allowed per nine innings (9.02).
"He's pitching with a lot of confidence," Black said. "Mat doesn't scare off easily. He's pitched consistently all year. What you are seeing is a guy with great talent and good stuff."
Consider what Rays manager Joe Maddon had to say in June, after watching Latos throw four pitches for strikes, pitch inside without concern and meticulously work his way through a lineup the way a veteran pitcher would.
"I want to check his birth certificate. I don't think he's 22," Maddon said. "He's one of the better young pitchers I've seen. He has an incredible feel for what he's doing."
And look how fast it's happened. Three years after signing, Latos made the jump from low-Class A Fort Wayne to the Major Leagues in 2009. He has already thrown more innings at the Major League level (217 1/3) than in the Minor Leagues (184 2/3).
Had it not been for a stretch on the disabled list with an oblique strain after the All-Star break and those times when the Padres have given him an extra day between starts here and there to keep his workload in check, Latos might have been in the conversation for the National League Cy Young Award.
As it stands now, Latos is embracing what he can control: his turn every fifth day in the rotation, for a team making a push toward its first postseason appearance since 2006. A team that wouldn't be in this position without Latos.
At 6-feet, 6-inches, Latos, armed with an electric arm and an effusive personality, is no shrinking violet. He stands out with his big right arm and his big personality.
"I love it. I think it's an extra adrenaline kick to us. We wake up every morning and look at it in a day in and day out basis," Latos said. "We are in a pennant race right now. Not very many people, on the broad spectrum, are doing it.
"I'm doing something that I love to do, and we have a chance to go somewhere."
It's certainly been a wild ride for Latos, who doesn't have to think back far to realize just how far he's come since that day in Atlanta.
"I was nervous. Balsley just told me to throw like I throw. So I went out there and tried to throw 100 miles an hour. I think I maybe threw one strike," Latos said. "I almost threw a pitch into left field.
"The other thing that happened was the bullpen catcher at the time; I told him I throw a spike changeup or a drop changeup. He had no chest protector on. The first one I throw, he goes to catch it and it bounces and hits him right in the chest. I was a wreck that day but I was excited at the same time."
Pete DeYoung, the West Coast scouting supervisor for the Padres, was an area scout who covered Georgia, South Carolina and parts of Florida at the time Latos came on the radar.
"When I picked him up at the airport, he had blond, spiky hair and these big headphones on," DeYoung said. "He did not say much initially. We had some time to kill before heading over to Turner Field and he was pretty hungry. So to break the ice, I decided to take him to this burger place near where I lived called the Vortex.
"It's an alternative spot with tattoos and biker gear -- a little bit out there. But they have killer burgers. Mat immediately took to the place and relaxed, and began to open up."
Latos has never been one to suppress his feelings. There have been questions about his maturity since the day the Padres signed him in 2007. He will be the first to admit that when he signed, he was cocky and arrogant. But, he said, this was nothing more than a reflection of the self-confidence he has.
"At the time, it didn't bother me because I was just being myself," Latos said. "When I signed in 2007, there were guys who didn't like me because I was 19 and what I signed for, guys who didn't even know me. How is that fair?
"I was told not to go out and make friends because nine times out of 10 ... those people don't care about you. I just did my own thing."
Latos, who in the past has showed emotion on the mound when things haven't gone his way, has done a better job of compartmentalizing his emotions when pitching. These are the results of having spent time the last two seasons around veterans in the clubhouse -- Jake Peavy, Bell, Chris Young and this season, Jon Garland and Matt Stairs, who at 42, is old enough to be Latos' father.
"I think a lot of the baseball maturity is from the guys I have been around these past two seasons and from listening to what they have to say -- and seeing how a veteran will go about his business," Latos said. "Anyway, I can still be a kid at home."
Yes, Latos has come a long way in four years. In some ways, he's changed and in many he's remained true to himself. He's the first to admit he's nowhere near being a finished product. But he's also 22 and won't shy away from occasionally acting his age -- even if that means still being somewhat in awe of his surroundings.
That was the case in 2007 and still holds true to some extent now.
"One of the best parts about that day in Atlanta was just standing around the outfield. Trevor came over to talk to me and so did Maddux. He was giving me a bunch of crap, asking if I was going to take his job, just messing around. "That was such an unbelievable experience that day, to be out there."
