The Not-Closer
My favorite pitcher is Wainwright. His curve at the end of 2006 goes down as one of my favorite memories as a Cardinals fan ever. Relatedly, Jason Motte’s final pitch in 2011 is exactly the same. I will always remember where I was when those pitches happened, always remember what I was doing when my favorite team won a World Series.
We weren’t able to spend a lot of time with Not-Closer-But-Could-Be-Called-Closer-This-Season Motte, but there were a couple great things he said.
On preparation:
“I’m just going to do what I need to do to get my arm ready, my body ready. I’m going to go out there and prove I belong on the team.”
On his role’s title:
“It doesn’t matter what they call you, it’s all about your performance on the field.”
We did, though, get a little more time with top prospect Shelby Miller:
On his “top prospect” title:
“It makes things easier. Being named as something bigger in the organization makes me a better pitcher. It makes you work harder knowing you have all eyes on you.”
On his suspension:
“I learned a lot of things. It benefits me in the long run, knowing that stuff can’t happen again. It keeps everything in perspective.”
On getting to the big club:
“I have to keep doing the right things, keep working to get better as a pitcher and hope to get up here. I think it’s going to happen as long as I keep doing my part of it. … Spring Training is the ultimate test. I think I’m going to go in with the right mindset.”
On the World Series:
“It was amazing. You just want to work harder to be a part of it.”
Whether Miller makes it to the big club this year remains to be seen, but with focus and drive, we could see a lot more of this guy in the months to come.
