Former Westlake High pitcher Adamczyk is model of perserverance

By Steve AmesSpecial to the Acorn

PROUD TO WEAR RED—Westlake grad Tyler Adamczyk is still looking for his shot at the “Big Show” as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals farm system. The 6-6 pitcher is currently at Single ‘A’ Quad Cities in Davenport, Iowa. It’s been a bit of a struggle, but Tyler Adamczyk continues to hold course as he toils in his fourth season as a starting pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league organization.

The 2001 graduate of Westlake High was selected by the Cardinals in the seventh round (224th overall) of the 2001 amateur draft and signed his contract for a reported $1 million.

Adamczyk, 22, began the week with the Single A Quad Cities Swing of Davenport, Iowa, after beginning the season with the Advanced-A Palm Beach Cardinals in the Florida State League. There, he had a 3-7 record, a 6.06 ERA, and 33 strikeouts in 67.1 innings.

“I’m throwing my fastball with consistency,” he said prior to a game at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. “In order to make the next level I’ve got to be able to throw my offspeed pitches for strikes.

Adamczyk pitched during spring training in Double-A for the Springfield Cardinals, but was moved back to Palm Beach where he played last season because the Cardinals wanted him to produce more before he was moved up.

“I pitched well all during spring,” the confident Adamczyk said.

At Palm Beach last season, the right-hander pitched 136.2 innings, finished with a 5-10 record and had a 5.00 ERA in 25 games. He struck out 33, walked 12.

In 2003 for the Midwest League Peoria Chiefs in Illinois, the hurler was 7-12 with a 4.49 ERA in 26 games. That season, Adamzyck struck out 93 and walked 48.

Reflecting on the differences in batters as he’s moved through the Cardinals’ organization, Adamczyk said the higher you go up, the more disciplined players are at the plate.

“Guys are more patient, and if you don’t throw (your off speed pitches) consistently in the zone for a strike, they’re not going to swing at it,” Adamczyk said. “That’s the biggest push right now is to get that working. Hitters are looking for fastballs up in the zone. They know they can hit those pitches so they wait for it.”

As he moved from pitching to Marmonte League competition to playing in a Cardinals’ uniform, Adamczyk said he had to make adjustments to his pitching delivery.

“In high school, you can just kind of cut it loose and throw the ball hard and get guys out,” he said. “(But) once you get to these levels you’ve got to throw the ball where you want to every time.”

While at Westlake, Adamczyk left his mark in the Warriors’ record books. He was 7-0 in 2001 and 9-1 in 2000, finishing with an overall record of 19-1 during his three years at WHS. In 2000, he struck out 78 batters and had an ERA of 1.13. In three seasons he also hit 21 home runs.

When Adamczyk signed to play in the minors in lieu of accepting a scholarship to UC Berkeley, his signing did not leave him without the possibility of earning a future college education.

“I have money to go back whenever I want to, but right now I want to put everything toward baseball,” Adamczyk said.

He said doing both can be difficult because you can only take one or two classes in the offseason.

His goal is to someday pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals and call Busch Stadium his baseball home. The next two stops in the Cardinals’ organization are the Springfield Cardinals of the Texas League and the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds of the Pacific Coast League.

“Ideally if I can make it to Double-A by the end of the season, that’s where I want to be,” Adamczyk said. “But if next year I have to come into spring training and earn a spot (in Springfield), then I’ll do that. You’ve got to put up the numbers, that’s how you get moved up.”

Even after four season in the minors, Adamczyk’s determination to succeed has not waivered.

“You want to give it everything you have for as long as possible,” he said. “You don’t really have a say (in where) the team is going to put you. They put you where they want to, not where you want to (be).”

Derek Lilliquist has been Adamczyk’s pitching coach for four years beginning in Johnson City.

“The biggest thing is that you have to take everybody’s input, especially through the minor leagues,” Adamczyk said. “Everybody has something to say. Everything might not be right for you, but you have to take the bits and pieces that work for you and make you a better player.”

Adamczyk said he’s enjoyed the support also of Palm Beach Cards infielder John Santor of Palmdale the past three years and his parents, Dave and Nancy Adamczyk and his girlfriend, Emily Barron of West Palm Beach, who he met last season during Spring Training.

“She’s there for me all the time and the nice thing is (that she’s) so into baseball that we can sit down and talk about baseball,” he said. “She comes to most all of the games.”

Adamczyk meanwhile, as develops as a professional baseball player, works daily on his pitching. As a starter he much prefers a “W,” a win, for his efforts, rather than an “L,” a loss, or “N.D.,” no decision.

“One of the things about being a starting pitcher is that when you don’t have a good outing, all you want to do is pitch again,” he said. “You have to go out there the four days in between and just get it straight for the next game. You don’t want to just let down because you know you can do better than you did.”