Vance Worley Finds Himself In Special Place
Philadelphia (CBS)—Vance Worley thought the idea was somewhat skewed at first. "You want me to do what," the Phillies' right-handed pitcher recalls thinking, "throw off the mound without a ball?"
He was getting knocked around a little at the time, pitching in college for Long Beach State. So he thought, why not, let's see where this unique idea goes. Worley threw a few bullpen sessions with sports psychologist Ken Ravizza watching. He went through the same gyrations he normally undergoes on the mound, the same trash talking to imaginary batters, throwing air for strikes.
Pretty soon, Worley began throwing the real thing for strikes. Soon after that, he found himself drafted by the same team that took him out of high school, the Phillies, finding himself as a vital cog on Major League Baseball's best team--and in a primetime position this week as the Game Two starter in the Phillies' series with the Boston Red Sox.
Worley doesn't waver. There's little that can knock him off his personal perch. He doesn't get too high or too low. He's an even-keeled pitcher with a matchless Mohawk hairdo, a funky pair of shades and a slightly tilted cap.
With Roy Oswalt going on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back injury, Worley went from someone on the periphery of the Phillies' plans to someone thrust into the meat of their regular season. He goes back to Long Beach State as to the reason he's in this position now—as part of baseball's best starting rotation.
"I think college really helped out with getting here," said Worley, who was masterful in his last start, throwing five no-hit innings in a no-decision against Oakland on Friday night. "I went to Long Beach State and I struggled because I wasn't able to cope with how much faster the game was at the college level than at the high school level. I would get through the first couple of innings, then I would give up a bunch of runs. I'd get pretty down on myself, so Dr. Ravizza took me aside and we worked one-on-one individually.
"I actually threw a couple of bullpens without a ball and he was there to walk me through it. I could mentally picture everything that was going on. I could see everything that was happening and I learned to think positive without a ball. It was the weirdest thing ever, but after that, I was able to take things into games. I was talking trash back to the guy and he said he liked it, it was different. He said I had some fire in me. It was something he wanted to see."
Worley has kept doing it. Look at him during his next start. Look closely. Try and focus on his lips. They're constantly moving. Worley isn't talking to his catcher, or even the batter facing him. He's talking to himself.
"Yea, I know," said the extremely likable 23-year-old, laughing. "If you look at me when I'm pitching, I look like I'm talking to myself. What I'm actually doing is pumping myself up. I'm not necessarily putting down the hitters. I don't know if I look crazy out there or not, I just like to get myself mentally into it. I know I can get angry at myself sometimes, but I see myself as a perfectionist. I know if I miss, I know I'm going to locate on the next pitch.
"I like to be as positive as I can about everything and I think that experience in college helped me out. I don't know if that didn't happen to me, I wouldn't be here right now, because I got drafted by Philly out of high school and I choose to go to college. I would have been 17 years old in the minors, immature and not ready to deal with being a professional baseball player. I'm certain that without that college stop, I wouldn't have made it. I would have been one of those high school guys that were drafted that wouldn't have made it. I've seen a lot of guys who were talented and wasted it away. I was determined I wasn't going to be one of them."
Worley admits he's still learning. He tries to absorb everything Roy Halladay does, from breaking down films, to Halladay's voracious penchant of taking down copious notes of each batter he faces, always looking for that extra edge.
"I'm trying to have a little bit of Halladay's preparation rub off on me," Worley said. "I'm not anywhere as experienced as Halladay, but I need to keep working hard and I figure it will take a few years to get there. Being in this position is a dream come true I guess you can say. But it's not the way I would have liked it to happen, seeing these guys get hurt. It's something I wanted to earn on my own. I can't change that. I know I earned a couple of opportunities this year, and I obviously know I have to step it up and be somebody these guys can count on when I go out there to pitch."
Vance Worley is still throwing imaginary balls by batters. He's still writing special personal things inside his hat, like the initials of a close aunt who just beat cancer. He's having fun with it—and getting Major League hitters out with his real stuff. That's something he doesn't have to imagine.
Reported by: Joseph Santoliquito
