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McCarthy living a dream

southsider2k5

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http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...-home-headlines

 

Think back for a moment and try to remember someone—an athlete, musician, actor, anyone—you idolized while growing up.

 

Now imagine not simply meeting that person but hanging out with him.

 

It would be weird, wouldn't it? Cool—definitely cool—but a little weird.

 

This is what Brandon McCarthy has been going through the last couple of days.

 

"If I sit down and think about it, I think I'll get confused," McCarthy said about hanging out with his boyhood idol, Frank Thomas. "I don't even think about it. It's too surreal."

 

Thomas' rehab assignment with the White Sox's Triple-A affiliate Charlotte Knights has given McCarthy a chance to spend some quality time with Thomas and has enabled McCarthy to fulfill one of his career goals.

 

"Outside of playing major-league baseball, [being on the same team with Thomas] was Goal No. 2," McCarthy said. "So it's good to get that out of the way."

 

When talking about Thomas, McCarthy finally acts his age—unlike when he's on the pitching mound or preparing for his next start.

 

Few players have soared through the Sox's farm system as quickly as McCarthy, 21, who nearly made the big club only three years after being drafted. McCarthy's strong spring training forced the Sox to rethink their plans for him.

 

"The original thought was to give him five or six starts in Double A and then bring him up to Triple A," Charlotte manager Nick Leyva said. "The way he pitched in spring training, he almost made that club. How can you penalize a guy who almost made the major-league club?"

 

Instead of going to Birmingham, where he made four starts at the end of last season after beginning the year at Class A Kannapolis, McCarthy went straight to Charlotte and is only an injury away from the Sox's starting rotation.

 

Despite being just a phone call from the majors, McCarthy has kept himself firmly grounded in the present, focusing on each start with Charlotte rather than what might happen.

 

"To be honest, it doesn't even feel like it's that close," McCarthy said. "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I'm here, and that's all I'm thinking about—pitching here and helping these guys win. Things outside of that I haven't really thought about."

 

McCarthy's numbers—3-4 with a 4.78 ERA going into his start Friday night at Ottawa—may not look that impressive for a team that has struggled all season. But he's pitching in a very favorable park for hitters that can take a mental toll on pitchers.

 

McCarthy has given up nine home runs in 472/3 innings, all coming while pitching in Charlotte. But he has given up only 47 hits and has 61 strikeouts to just 14 walks.

 

"A lot of guys change their routines when they pitch in our ballpark," Charlotte pitching coach Juan Nieves said. "They get to the point of wanting to strike guys out and make perfect pitches. [McCarthy has] kept his composure as a young kid. It's a great challenge for him."

 

Nieves said McCarthy's control and sometimes "impeccable" command get him in trouble when he's pitching at home. Because he throws so many strikes, sometimes he will miss in the strike zone.

 

"He has run into some tough times with some cheap home runs," Nieves said.

 

McCarthy admits that pitching in Charlotte can be frustrating, but it's something he's trying to overcome.

 

"I hate to make excuses," McCarthy said. "I grew up in Colorado with the thin air and things like that. But this … I think I let it get in my head a little bit. You make some good pitches, and a guy hits a home run. That kind of plays with you a little bit."

 

In a way, however, the small park in Charlotte serves as a test for what McCarthy will face when he gets to Chicago. He won't have to worry about bandbox ballparks, but he will get hit hard at times on what he thinks were good pitches.

 

McCarthy takes a student's approach to pitching, studying his opponents and developing a game plan, which Leyva said is rare from someone so young. McCarthy's pitching ability and mental attitude make for a tantalizing combination for the Sox in the future.

 

"I've been around a long time and have seen guys 7 years older who still don't have an idea what's going on," veteran catcher Jamie Burke said. "He has an idea of what he wants to do. He self-prepares better than anyone I've seen."

 

Nieves and Leyva believe McCarthy's biggest asset lies above his right arm—his head.

 

"He has the ability to repeat pitches, to throw a quality pitch after a quality pitch," Nieves said. "You don't see that. You only see that from Cy Young [Award] winners, and he has that potential."

 

In time, perhaps, but for the next couple of weeks, McCarthy is planning on simply spending some quality time with his idol.

 

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