NewsScheppers using AFL as stepping stone
Rangers pitching prospect working for Spring Training bid
By Rush Olson / Special to MLB.com
11/02/09 2:49 PM EST
Tanner Scheppers knows he'll be in Surprise, Ariz., when the Rangers open Spring Training next February because he just bought his first house there. He can't be certain he'll be in Major League camp.However, the right-handed pitcher possesses the ability to make it possible for him to spend his first Spring Training with the big league club, despite experience covering only NCAA and the independent American Association levels prior to this October. A strong showing in the Arizona Fall League might secure his invitation.
"We'll give him some innings here see how it goes and he'll get a chance to possibly go to Major League Spring Training camp," said Scott Servais, Rangers director of player development. "We'll see how the Fall League plays out for him."
Ryan O'Malley is a Rangers Minor League pitching coach assisting with the Surprise Rafters, the AFL club where Texas prospects are playing. He sees in Scheppers a player who might have the ability to rise quickly.
"His stuff is above average compared to some of the kids here," said O'Malley, a former big leaguer who joined the Rangers' development staff last season. "I don't think he's going to be in the Minor Leagues that long if he stays healthy."
The question of Scheppers' health lingers. The Rangers drafted him 44th overall in June's First-Year Player Draft, finding him available that late in the selection due in large part to injury concerns. The pitcher says he is "feeling great, best I've ever felt."
"There were some questions on Tanner coming out of the Draft," said Servais. "We're very excited about what we've seen so far. The arm is working good."
Scheppers says he performs a rigid regimen.
"A lot of shoulder exercises," he said. "Every day, I've got to do something for it. People here are on me all the time, so it makes it nice. I don't have to do it all by myself."
O'Malley monitors Scheppers' work, including stretching and running.
"He's a young kid," said O'Malley. "He's going to put on weight, hopefully. And we just hope that he's eating correctly and getting in the weight room. And that's one of the reasons I'm here, to make sure that those guys are doing those sort of things during this Fall League time."
If Scheppers stays on the field, his stuff will then get to determine his path to the Major Leagues. His repertoire has impressed O'Malley.
"Scheppers is definitely a talented kid," he said. "He's got above-average stuff all around. His fastball is anywhere from 95 to 98 [mph]. It's effortless. It comes out of his hand really nice. And then he's got a curveball that he can command. It's more of a 12-6 curveball. He throws a changeup and a slider as well."
Scheppers has struck out eight batters in five innings of work in the AFL, with one walk and a 3.86 ERA. Despite his often overpowering stuff, some of the league's high-level hitters have shown him where he still needs improvement.
"They wait for their pitches and if you make a mistake, they're going to hit it," Scheppers said. "I definitely still have a lot to learn. I need to be more consistent with my fastball. I need to throw more strikes with it."
O'Malley suggested that progress with fastball command may be the most important thing Scheppers needs to master to move forward.
"Commanding his fastball down in the strike zone is definitely going to be his ticket," O'Malley explained. "At the Major League level, it's about not how hard you throw it. You see guys every day throwing 96 [mph] getting hit. But if they're able to command it down in the zone, they're going to be able to pitch at that level."
The Rafters use the Rangers' clubhouse at the Surprise Recreation Campus. Scheppers has a locker there bearing his nameplate. His progress this fall may determine whether it remains there in February.
Rush Olson is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
