Josh Zeid Checks In
2010 BlueClaws pitcher Josh Zeid was one of a handful of players to go from A-ball to the Arizona Fall League, where he went 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA in four starts and threw a shutout inning in the Rising Stars Game.
Having reached his innings limit, Zeid has finished his time in Arizona and we spoke to him Monday afternoon while he was driving on I-10 in New Mexico on a 30-hour drive to Clearwater.
How was the competition compared to what you had been facing? It’s like facing an all-star team every game out. If you have an off-day at all, even an off-pitch, they’re going to hit it a long way. I saw some pretty long home runs, but it was a lot of fun.
How was the experience for you having come from a level where you were one of the older guys to one where you were one of the younger and more inexperienced players? They let me know every day that I was younger or had less experience, not negatively, but they said that it was a great honor to be invited from Lo-A…I was the same age as some of the guys who had played in Double-A, which was a little sad, but you have to trick yourself into believing you can get these guys out. If you can, you can be successful at any level.
What was the Rising Stars experience like? The day I found out they were shutting me down for the year, I found out I made Rising Stars and that would be my last outing. I had a pretty good year, but I was Lo-A, senior sign. Most of the other guys that were on the team were older, or higher picks, so it meant a lot. It was cool, national television, that’s always a little scary. But it was a lot of fun. I faced the guy who hit the game winning home run, which kind of stunk, there was a cash prize for the winning team, $500. We were pretty down. We had bases loaded in the top of the 9th, but they got out of it. And they won in the bottom of the 9th.
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You finished the year here very strong, obviously. How do you think your stuff held up down there? As long as I pitch, rather than throw, I have a great chance. A lot of times, I would throw it as hard as I could, and then I could get in trouble. Anyone can hit a straight fastball. If you’re focused on pitching, I’ll be OK as long as your doing everything you’re supposed to do.
The innings limit? I’m about 145 including spring training. I threw 150-something last year, college and pro. But this year I started and relieved, so there were a lot of stress innings.
How did you enjoy starting in Arizona? A lot, it was great. As a reliever, everyone threw one inning, so you don’t get a chance to work no everything. I got to throw a lot more change-ups this fall. That’s got to be a big pitch for me next year.
You got to face top pick Bryce Harper in his first pro at bat, how was the circus? Well it was different. He’s going to be very, very good. He’s young. You can tell maybe by the things he says and acts. H’s got one of the best arms I’ve ever seen. So he comes up and everyone was chirping to each other. They all had their cameras out. My teammates had bets about what he was going to do, most thought he was going to pop up. He wasn’t taking, I wasn’t going to waste a pitch obviously. He would have hit it a mile if it was 2 mph slower, but he popped up to short.
Do you think you have a chance to skip a level going into next year? I’ll be 24 at the start of next year. Obviously I have no idea what they want to do. No matter what, I have to pitch well. If I go to Clearwater, I still have to pitch well to get promoted. I may be older but I haven’t thrown that many innings. I’m just excited for next year.
How’s Mark Parent doing (he’s Mesa’s hitting coach)? He’s awesome…He’s obviously not getting thrown out of any games, but he’s got the same personality even though it’s a different bunch of guys. He likes a little more mature group. He’s a great manager, a pretty good hitting coach too.
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