Former starter looking for spot in Nats bullpen
Nationals relief pitcher Mike Hinckley plopped into the chair in front of his locker last Tuesday as a pack of reporters finally departed.
“I’m overwhelmed,” he said to no one in particular, shaking his head and then exhaling.
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It had been a memorable day for the 27-year-old left-hander. He had just made his major-league debut, throwing 1 2/3 shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 2 — a moment the former top prospect wasn’t sure would ever come.
In 2005, Baseball America rated Hinckley, a 2001 third-round draft pick, the No. 1 minor-leaguer in the Nats’ system. He competed that spring training for a spot in the big-league rotation before a shoulder strain ended his chances. It took three years for another opportunity.
“I had dreamed about this since I was a kid,” Hinckley said. “Was it worth the wait? Absolutely.”
A former starter, Hinckley reinvented himself as a reliever this year. And while it took time to adjust — his ERA at Double-A Harrisburg was 5.12 — Hinckley earned a promotion to Triple-A Columbus in July, where he had a 3.16 ERA in 20 games. Suddenly back on the radar, he was a call-up when major-league rosters expanded Sept. 1 and has allowed just two hits and no runs in 5 1/3 innings.
“I got a call [four] weeks ago saying that Hinckley’s now throwing 90-93 [miles-per-hour],” Nats GM Jim Bowden said. “We sent four guys in to see him. All four came back with the same response: This guy is going to be a lefty in the bullpen. His stuff has come back.”
Where that stuff went even Hinckley couldn’t say. After returning to the mound in May of 2005, the shoulder strain continued to plague him at Single-A Potomac. Hinckley had surgery that September, but when he returned the following spring both his control and velocity — once in the low-90’s — had vanished. In 76 starts between 2005 and 2007, Hinckley issued 3.7 walks per nine innings.
“Mike is going to mostly face left-handed hitters so we can see how much progress he’s made,” Nats manager Manny Acta said. “That was something we told him: Try to get every lefty out who comes across your path. He might have a future doing that. All he needs to do is throw strikes and see if he can take it to this level.”
