titanbaseball04
02-25-2003, 09:37 PM
Roy Halladay is driven, supremely determined to improve upon last season. Toronto's 25-year-old ace isn't satisfied with All-Star status or the knowledge that he's one of the best pitchers in the American League. That quality, that single-sighted desire to keep getting better, is what separates him from many of his equally talented peers.
"I think it's a credit to him. He realizes he's done some really good things but he's not happy with that," said J.P. Ricciardi, Toronto's general manager. "What you see in Roy is what you see in all the great ones. They have the strong desire to continue to build off their success. I don't think you ever have to worry about complacency setting in with him."
Halladay echoes that belief with his own actions. The right-hander has been working out since November, effectively erasing his entire offseason. It's almost as if he doesn't believe in overkill -- Halladay thinks that the harder he works, the less he leaves to chance.
"It's a matter of working hard but working smart. That's something I pride myself on -- working hard and doing the right things," he said. "If you take too much time off, it's hard to get things going again. I want to make sure that I give my arm enough time to heal and rest, but by the same token I want to make sure it's strong."
Some pitchers would coast off a career year, but few of them have been through a career odyssey quite like Halladay's. In 1998, at the ripe old age of 21, Halladay became the fourth-youngest Blue Jay to start a game. And he didn't just start it -- he came one out away from throwing a no-hitter.
More success followed in '99, but Halladay absolutely imploded in the year after that. He posted a 10.64 ERA in the big leagues and spent most of 2001 trying to completely rebuild his confidence. Eventually, he did so by working his way back through the minors. One huge season later, Halladay is fighting to make sure that never happens again.
"He's been down. He knows what it's like to be down. It was the drive and the passion that brought him above that," Ricciardi said. "I don't think he ever wants to return there. The fear of failure drives a lot of us. I can't speak for Roy, but I know it drives a lot of people in this game."
Last year, the former first-round draft pick left all that behind him. He led the AL in innings pitched (239 1/3), finished fourth in wins (19), fifth in ERA (2.93) and sixth in strikeouts (168).
Strangely enough, Halladay said his mindset hasn't changed at all after that successful season. He isn't more confident and he hasn't noticed much of a difference in his post-breakout mentality.
"Surprisingly, none. I need to prepare myself the same way," he said. "There are some things I'd like to improve from last year, as far as consistency and things like that, but I don't think there's really going to be much difference. I'm going to go pitch-to-pitch and be aggressive just like last year."
Carlos Tosca, Toronto's manager, said that isn't such a surprise after all. With most of the ingredients for success already in place, Halladay didn't have to change.
All he has to do is take the mound and stay within his skill set on a regular basis.
"His stuff speaks for itself. The work ethic is there, the mental side of the game is continuing to improve," Tosca said. "We all know what can happen in baseball, we all know how funny this game can be, but he will be the same guy every time he goes out there."
Tosca goes a step further, saying that Halladay only has to worry about the things he can control. Specifically, the way he pitches and the way he reacts to every at-bat.
"It goes back to approach, result, response. He's got no control over the result -- once he turns the ball loose, he's got no control," Tosca said. "He does have control over the approach and how he responds to it, and that's what being tough is all about."
Halladay doesn't like to separate himself from the rest of the pitching staff, even when his statistics do that by themselves. When asked if he considers himself a leader, he said that he just sees himself as one of the guys who pitches every five days. When asked if he considers himself an ace, he deflected the question entirely.
"I don't put a lot of stock in it. That's something that somebody else determines," he said. "I don't think it's going to affect the way I prepare myself or the way I pitch. Obviously, it's a nice compliment, but it's just a word."
It may just be a word, but it's one that most baseball people use to describe him. Gil Patterson, Toronto's pitching coach, goes as far as saying that he would take Halladay over any other pitcher in baseball.
When that comment was relayed to Halladay, he smiled uncomfortably before responding.
"That's nice -- it really is. I don't know if I'd agree with it, but it's nice to hear those things," he said. "There's so many other guys, but I feel like I've tried to learn and be like some of those guys. I appreciate the comment."
If he can repeat last year's performance, pretty soon Patterson's opinion will be consensus around the league. When you watch Halladay prepare for the upcoming season, it seems like it's only a matter of time.
Speaking about the rest of his team, Halladay comes pretty close to saying those exact words. He may not be speaking solely about himself, but every word applies directly to his situation.
"It's going to be a big year for us. Last year we did a lot of good things, but this year we have to show we can do it again," he said. "A lot of times, you see guys come out and play well and then it disappears. We want to prove that we can do it again."
"I think it's a credit to him. He realizes he's done some really good things but he's not happy with that," said J.P. Ricciardi, Toronto's general manager. "What you see in Roy is what you see in all the great ones. They have the strong desire to continue to build off their success. I don't think you ever have to worry about complacency setting in with him."
Halladay echoes that belief with his own actions. The right-hander has been working out since November, effectively erasing his entire offseason. It's almost as if he doesn't believe in overkill -- Halladay thinks that the harder he works, the less he leaves to chance.
"It's a matter of working hard but working smart. That's something I pride myself on -- working hard and doing the right things," he said. "If you take too much time off, it's hard to get things going again. I want to make sure that I give my arm enough time to heal and rest, but by the same token I want to make sure it's strong."
Some pitchers would coast off a career year, but few of them have been through a career odyssey quite like Halladay's. In 1998, at the ripe old age of 21, Halladay became the fourth-youngest Blue Jay to start a game. And he didn't just start it -- he came one out away from throwing a no-hitter.
More success followed in '99, but Halladay absolutely imploded in the year after that. He posted a 10.64 ERA in the big leagues and spent most of 2001 trying to completely rebuild his confidence. Eventually, he did so by working his way back through the minors. One huge season later, Halladay is fighting to make sure that never happens again.
"He's been down. He knows what it's like to be down. It was the drive and the passion that brought him above that," Ricciardi said. "I don't think he ever wants to return there. The fear of failure drives a lot of us. I can't speak for Roy, but I know it drives a lot of people in this game."
Last year, the former first-round draft pick left all that behind him. He led the AL in innings pitched (239 1/3), finished fourth in wins (19), fifth in ERA (2.93) and sixth in strikeouts (168).
Strangely enough, Halladay said his mindset hasn't changed at all after that successful season. He isn't more confident and he hasn't noticed much of a difference in his post-breakout mentality.
"Surprisingly, none. I need to prepare myself the same way," he said. "There are some things I'd like to improve from last year, as far as consistency and things like that, but I don't think there's really going to be much difference. I'm going to go pitch-to-pitch and be aggressive just like last year."
Carlos Tosca, Toronto's manager, said that isn't such a surprise after all. With most of the ingredients for success already in place, Halladay didn't have to change.
All he has to do is take the mound and stay within his skill set on a regular basis.
"His stuff speaks for itself. The work ethic is there, the mental side of the game is continuing to improve," Tosca said. "We all know what can happen in baseball, we all know how funny this game can be, but he will be the same guy every time he goes out there."
Tosca goes a step further, saying that Halladay only has to worry about the things he can control. Specifically, the way he pitches and the way he reacts to every at-bat.
"It goes back to approach, result, response. He's got no control over the result -- once he turns the ball loose, he's got no control," Tosca said. "He does have control over the approach and how he responds to it, and that's what being tough is all about."
Halladay doesn't like to separate himself from the rest of the pitching staff, even when his statistics do that by themselves. When asked if he considers himself a leader, he said that he just sees himself as one of the guys who pitches every five days. When asked if he considers himself an ace, he deflected the question entirely.
"I don't put a lot of stock in it. That's something that somebody else determines," he said. "I don't think it's going to affect the way I prepare myself or the way I pitch. Obviously, it's a nice compliment, but it's just a word."
It may just be a word, but it's one that most baseball people use to describe him. Gil Patterson, Toronto's pitching coach, goes as far as saying that he would take Halladay over any other pitcher in baseball.
When that comment was relayed to Halladay, he smiled uncomfortably before responding.
"That's nice -- it really is. I don't know if I'd agree with it, but it's nice to hear those things," he said. "There's so many other guys, but I feel like I've tried to learn and be like some of those guys. I appreciate the comment."
If he can repeat last year's performance, pretty soon Patterson's opinion will be consensus around the league. When you watch Halladay prepare for the upcoming season, it seems like it's only a matter of time.
Speaking about the rest of his team, Halladay comes pretty close to saying those exact words. He may not be speaking solely about himself, but every word applies directly to his situation.
"It's going to be a big year for us. Last year we did a lot of good things, but this year we have to show we can do it again," he said. "A lot of times, you see guys come out and play well and then it disappears. We want to prove that we can do it again."