Pease Making Progress With Padres

WICHITA, KS- Former Wichita Wingnuts' pitcher Dustin Pease is preparing for his second season as a member of the San Diego Padres' organization.

After spending four years in the independent ranks, Pease thrived in his first chance with an affiliated organization.  The left-hander initially signed with San Diego last winter, and was assigned to the Padres' High-A affiliate in Lake Elsinore, CA.

"It was a great year," said Pease.  "One of my goals was to make it out of camp, and spring training turned out to be great."

In 2008, Pease attended training camp with the Kansas City Royals, but was released prior to the start of the regular season.  The 26-year-old relied heavily on that experience last spring.

"I already had a little spring training experience from when I was with the Royals in 2008, so I had a better idea of what to expect.  I was really looking forward to it, and felt like I was ready to go out and make a team.  The first couple of weeks in camp, I felt like they liked me, but they didn't give me any information.  So I kept trying to do my best, and I kept getting lefties out.  I was throwing good, my velocity was up, and by the end, I found out I was going to High-A."

Pease even joked about having fewer competitors to worry about at the Padres' training complex in Peoria, AZ.

"There weren't nearly as many left-handed pitchers in camp as there were with the Royals," laughed Pease, "so that was a good thing."

But given how Pease performed once the regular season began, a higher volume of lefties was unlikely to have mattered anyway.  Pease worked 73.2 innings over 55 appearances for the Storm, struck out 66, walked only 23, and finished the year with a 3.18 ERA.

As has been the case throughout his career, Pease was lethal against left-handed hitters.  Pease held lefties to a .148 batting average, and punched out 33 of the 92 (36 percent) total lefties that he faced.  From a hitter's perspective, that equates to striking out 216 times over a full-season of 600 at bats.  The Major League record is 223.

Pease built on his regular season success, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in five playoff games, and helped the Storm win the California League championship.

Pease's numbers are impressive in their own right, but his 2011 season carries even more weight when you consider the California League's propencity for carving up pitchers.

Of the 10 full-season affiliated leagues (ranging from Low-A to Triple-A), the California League ranked second in 2011 in cumulative ERA (4.89), batting average (.277), and home runs per game (1.8).  In comparison, the Double-A Texas League ranked third in ERA at 4.39--half a run lower.

"That's what they kept saying in camp," said Pease.  "It's a hitter's league, and the ball flies.  I saw some of the farthest home runs I have ever seen in person last year.  The air is thinner there because of the elevation.  But organizations know that.  They know when they send a pitcher there, the numbers may be skewed.  It's a known thing, and you just keep pitching the same way you always have."

Pease did just that, and was rewarded with the same consistent results he had enjoyed each of the previous four years.  2011 marked the fifth time in as many seasons that Pease finished with an ERA below 4.00, and the fourth time he has checked in under 3.30.

"It did give me a lot of confidence (playing in the California League) .  A 'four' ERA is considered a 'three' over there.  I carried a 'two' for most of the year, so I felt like I was doing really well."

Pease's performance caught the attention of the Padres' front office, which protected him in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft this past December.  Players left unprotected are eligible to be drafted by other Major League organizations.  Selected players in the Triple-A phase must be placed on the acquiring team's Triple-A roster for the upcoming season.

Protection usually signals two things.  It indicates the organization's faith in a player's skills and development potential.  It also implies the organization believes competing clubs share a similar evaluation, and could be targeting the player as a potential asset.

Pease's journey into affiliated ball followed a record-breaking 2010 season with the Wingnuts.  Pease was 6-1 for Wichita with a 2.46 ERA in 55.0 innings, striking out 64, and walking just 20.  His 54 appearances set an American Association record during a year in which the league still played 96 games (the schedule has since increased to 100).  Pease struck out 33 of the 91 left-handed batters he faced--foreshadowing his dominance in Lake Elsinore--and also held righties to a .242 batting average.  Three different times during the season, Pease pitched on four or more consecutive days.  He also worked in each of the Wingnuts' final six contests (over a seven-day span) en route to setting the appearance record on August 29th.

"'Peasy' was just fun to be around," said Wingnuts' manager Kevin Hooper.  He wanted the ball at all times, and seemed to pop back every single night and tell us he was ready.  I can't have enough guys like that, especially down in the bullpen.  It was a lot of fun when he broke that record because I know it meant a lot to him.  He's another guy that I think could find himself sliding up to the Major Leagues, because he is so tough on left-handers."

Pease had experience as a reliever early in his career, but was used almost exclusively as a starter in 2009.  Pitching for the Windy City Thunderbolts that season, Pease ranked third in the Frontier League in wins (12), second in starts (21), and third in complete games (four).  Upon his arrival in Wichita, Pease expressed interest in returning to the bullpen.

"I really appreciated playing for 'Hoop'," said Pease.  "I remember that's the first thing I told him when I got there--I wanted to break the appearance record.  I wanted to pitch everyday.  I was coming off a season where I was a starter, and I realized that as a left-handed sidearmer, being a starter wasn't what was going to get me to the next level."

Hooper believes in having left-handed depth in the bullpen, so changing Pease's role made sense for both sides.

"That's the other end of the stick," said Hooper, who has experienced a lot of success turning relievers into starters.  "He was a starter in the Frontier League who did really well, but hadn't been picked up.  You know the stuff is there, so sometimes you have to try a different route to get a guy exposed.  Part of our job as a coaching staff is to put guys in situations where they can succeed and have the best opportunity to get signed."

For someone who threw as often as Pease in 2010, it would have been perfectly understandable for him to have shown signs of fatigue late in the season--especially in the Wichita heat during the months of July and August.  However, Pease was most effective during a busy second half in which he allowed just three earned runs over his final 30 appearances.

"Coming to a team where they wanted to utilize me as a situational guy, I think it was a good fit, especially with 'Hoop' and Luke (Robertson).  They used me as often as I said I could pitch, and they wanted to let me throw.  It was a good situation, and I honestly think moving to the bullpen was a reason why I got picked up.  It showed I could consistently get left-handed hitters out."

Another key factor came during one of the most difficult parts of the season.  For the last 77 years, professional baseball teams in Wichita have had to embark on a two-week road trip late in the summer, while the NBC World Series occupies Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.  The trip can be greuling, and usually coincides with the hottest days of the year.

The 2010 trip was no different, taking the Wingnuts through Pensacola, Shreveport, Sioux City, and Lincoln.  But it also provided a rare opportunity that Pease took advantage of.

On July 31st, the Wingnuts faced Pensacola, and eventually defeated the Pelicans 7-4.  What made the night unique for the independent level was that a local cable company elected to televise the game.  Pease was summoned from the bullpen in the seventh inning and proceeded to have one of his most dominant outings of an already terrific season.  Pease faced four batters--two lefties and two righties--and struck out all four.  Following the game, Pease was able to acquire a copy of the telecast and passed it on to his agent.

"It all started with Wichita," said Pease.  "Wichita is what gave me the opportunity to get signed.  There was a video of the Pensacola game, and that's what we got out to the Padres.  It was about a month-long process.  They went ahead and invited me to spring training with no guarantees, and I just kind of went out there and battled for a spot."

Pease battled and won, making his journey that much more admirable.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, Pease was considered undersized by many scouts.  Despite a successful college career at Mount St. Mary's University in his home state of Maryland--he is the school's all-time leader in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched--Pease went undrafted following his senior season in 2007.

"There's scouting reports out there questioning my stuff, or my size," said Pease.  "There's always going to be people who do that and say that.  But the reality is that they're not me.  They don't know how hard I work, and I think the numbers speak for thesmelves.

"If the numbers are saying I'm getting people out consistently, there's nothing anyone can really say.  It's been that way my whole life, and it's fuel for what makes you want to do better.  I want to show people that I'm better than maybe what they think."

Pease overcame his doubters, working his way through four cities in four different independent leagues--pitching effectively at every stop--before finally catching his break last year.  His story includes summers in Canada, the Chicago suburbs, Wichita, and small-town Pennsylvania--not to mention all of the accompanying road trips--and represents hope for the thousands of independent players still eyeing their first chance in affiliated ball.

Now, with Double-A a realistic next step heading into this season, Pease is fully aware of the opportunity in front of him--the chance to get to the Major Leagues.  And as long as there are left-handed hitters, there will always be a demand for left-handed pitchers.

"It seems so surreal that it could happen," said Pease, "because it's something you've worked for your whole life."

A track record for independent players even exists within the Padres' organization.

"And it's not that unrealistic," said Pease.  "My throwing partner at the start of last year, Erik Hamren, was playing for the Kansas City T-Bones in 2010.  He started out with me in Lake Elsinore, and made it up to the big leagues by the end of the season.

"Things can happen quickly, especially if you're on a good run.  I've been told by the Padres that they really like how I throw, and it makes me feel good that they may see a future in me with their organization."

It's not uncommon for Hooper and his staff to board the team bus following a road game and begin checking on former Wingnuts players in affiliated ball.  For Pease, the same process is taking place on the other end.

"That means a lot," said Pease.  "I do the same thing with all the independent teams I've played for.  I come back from my game and see if Wichita won, or who did what in the boxscore.  It's a good thing, and I try and stay in touch with everyone as often as I can."

The 2012 season of Wichita Wingnuts baseball begins May 17th versus the Lincoln Saltdogs at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.  Season tickets, mini packs, and group packages are on sale now.  For more information, call the Wingnuts' office at (316) 264-NUTS or visit the Wingnuts' official website at www.wichitawingnuts.com

-Wingnuts-