EVERETT — Taylor Lewis isn’t going to blow you away with his stuff. He doesn’t possess the biggest fastball on the Everett AquaSox pitching staff. His curveball, though improving, is still a work in progress.
But one thing the right-hander will do is compete, and his competitive nature is one of the reasons Lewis was bestowed the honor of being Everett’s opening day starter.
“He’s a pretty competitive guy,” Everett pitching coach Rich Dorman said. “I’m really excited to see him compete (tonight).”
Lewis and the rest of the AquaSox open the 2009 Northwest League season on the road at 7:05 tonight, beginning with a three-game series against the Vancouver Canadians. And it’s Lewis who’s been charged with getting the Sox off to a good start.
“I’m really excited and really stoked to get out there and start winning ballgames,” said Lewis, who took pride in being named the opening game starter. “It’s been a long couple months being in extended spring training, but I’m ready to go.”
Lewis, who turned 21 earlier this month, is in his second season in the Seattle Mariners’ organization. Selected in the 19th round of the 2008 amateur draft, Lewis possesses a solid 6-foot-4 frame and a repertoire that includes a fastball clocking in around 90 mph, a curveball and a good changeup.
He spent his first professional season playing for Pulaski of the rookie Class A Appalachian League. He began the year in the bullpen before moving into the starting rotation midway through the season. After an adjustment period, he finished with reasonable numbers, going 1-3 with a 4.52 ERA, striking out 32 in 352/3 innings.
“My first three starts were pretty rocky, but I figured out some stuff with the pitching coach (Nasusel Cabrera),” Lewis said. “I was rushing a lot, not taking my time and not relaxed on the mound. He helped me get relaxed and attack hitters, and I was pretty much lights out the last half of the season.”
Lewis’s competitiveness didn’t hurt, either. Just where does that competitiveness come from?
“I hate losing,” Lewis said simply.
Lewis developed his competitive nature while growing up in Oro Valley, Ariz. As one of three brothers, competing was just a fact of life.
But one thing Lewis has learned is how to compete without losing emotional control.
“I try to keep my emotions to myself as much as possible,” Lewis responded when asked how he expressed his competitiveness. “The way I do it is by throwing strikes and keeping a good head on my shoulders, not showing my emotion when I get rattled or anything like that.”
That quality showed itself during extended spring training at Seattle’s complex in Peoria, Ariz. AquaSox manager John Tamargo was only with the players for two weeks in Peoria, yet it was enough to convince him that Lewis had what it took to be the opening night starter.
“He’s more mature,” Tamargo said of Lewis. “It seems like he can handle his emotions well, which on opening night is big for everyone.”
But Lewis also impressed with his performances. Lewis tossed approximately 50 innings at extended spring training the past two months, pitching well enough to land a spot in the rotation with Everett.
“He had a real good extended spring,” Dorman said. “He repeated his pitches well, kept the ball down, showed good command and control of his fastball — which is essential at any level — and showed ability to make adjustments. He earned the right to start on opening day.”
And he may get the chance to stick it out for a while. In the recent past, Everett’s starting pitchers were kept on a tight leash early in the season with pitch limits set somewhere around 80 pitches. But Lewis was able to get his arm stretched out during extended spring training and will be allowed to hit the 100-pitch mark. He hopes that makes for a lengthy outing.
“My goal is to at least go seven innings and pull out a W, for sure,” Lewis said. “I’m hoping I can keep my pitch count low each inning and hopefully go as long as possible.”
The day before making his AquaSox debut in the season opener, Lewis said he wasn’t feeling any nerves.
“I’m just real excited about (tonight),” Lewis said. “I know I’ll probably be a little jittery, but I’ll get through it.”
No doubt his competitiveness will help him out there, too.
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