No doubt there are many things that sets a pitcher apart. Wins? Sounds reasonable but I don’t think so. Wins are the result of a team effort or lack of a team effort from the competition. While I agree with baseballbum that hard work is necessary to succeed, a “good” pitcher can fold under pressure. I have to go with justbaseball. The player that wants the ball in the toughest situation is the pitcher that sets himself apart from the rest of the bullpen. BBfam, how do you teach that to your son. I don’t know if you can. I think a lot of it comes from confidence. So, how do you gain confidence? The hard work that baseballbum speaks of will give you confidence. Being prepared is a great confidence builder. Another is the ability to stay focused. If you stay focused on the task at hand you can eliminate many things that will erode your confidence. Being mentally prepared that Bill McClain speaks of is essential to staying focused. I used to teach my son that there was but one pitch in any game that was important…..The one he’s getting ready to throw.
While most know my son as a catcher, he was also a weekend starter in the SEC. He was given a framed picture of himself pitching with an imbedded quote that hangs on my wall today that says it much better than I can.
”One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something.”
-Nolan Ryan