Zach Foster’s childhood dreams came true when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates this spring.
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Zach Foster |
By Greg Clark
Sports Information Director
Zach Foster was a Seattle Mariners fan while growing up in Bradford.
That all changed a few months ago when the Pittsburgh Pirates made the Pitt-Bradford junior pitcher their 49th round pick in the 2008 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
“Ever since I watched Ken Griffey Jr. play I’ve liked the Seattle Mariners,” Foster said. “But I also liked the Pirates because being from Pennsylvania they were very close.”
Then in early June, Pirates area scout Steve Fleming called Foster to tell the 21-year-old hurler he’d been drafted by the Pirates. But it was old news to Foster.
“Yeah, that was a funny story,” Foster said. “That day I was getting updates from my parents, and it got down to the 35th round and I had to go out to my summer league game in Virginia. I came back to the locker room at 11 p.m. and looked at my phone and I had 30 missed calls and a load of text messages, so pretty much everyone knew before me.”
Foster was one of only 17 Division III baseball players taken in the draft.
“It is definitely an honor, but I don’t think it should matter what division you’re from,” Foster said. “There are some guys who I played with and against that are good enough to be there, but they get overlooked because they are division III athletes. But still it is a dream come true for me.”
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ON THE MOUND - Zach Foster spent the summer pitching for the Bradenton, Fla., Pirates, the Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate in the Gulf Coast League. |
Foster was 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA on the mound in his freshman year with the Panthers, was 0-1 in his sophomore season and then compiled a 3-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 10 appearances this spring. He finished his Pitt-Bradford career with a 5-2 record and a 5.77 ERA in 18 games and 68 innings pitched. Foster said it was more than wins and losses involving his Pitt-Bradford experience.
“I learned a lot from the coaching staff at Pitt-Bradford,” Foster said, referring to head coach Bret Butler and assistant coach Jim Colestro. “Going to college helped me become a man. It helped me to refine some skills, and I am in debt to them for helping me out.”
Butler always felt Foster had the size – at 6 foot, 5 inches and 220 pounds –and the talent for professional baseball.
“He is a coach’s dream and is an outstanding individual,” Butler said. “He’s always had outstanding tools, and he just needed a few years of college ball to refine those skills. He has developed physically and mentally into a fine player.
“Zach helped put Pitt-Bradford baseball on the radar screen of professional scouts. This, no doubt, will provide future opportunities for our players that have the talent but need to get opportunity.”
Former Bradford resident Kyle Stark, who is the director of player development for the Pirates, was also impressed with Foster.
“We saw Zach at a workout conducted by one of our scouts,” Stark said, “and we were encouraged by his arm strength and projectable body. He is a chance worth taking based on the investment and the projection due to his size and arm.”
Shortly after the draft, Foster reported to the Pirates rookie affiliate in the Gulf Coast League in Bradenton, Fla. The GCL Pirates were managed by 44-year-old Tom Prince, who was a backup catcher for 17 years (1987-2003) for Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Minnesota and Kansas City.
“My first day in Bradenton was nerve-racking,” Foster said. “I got there and walked into our game room, and it was filled with Hispanic kids. They mess with you when you’re new and try speaking Spanish to you. They all turned out to be really nice guys. But I couldn’t do anything for three days because of physicals, blood work and drug tests.”
Foster then had to graduate from the Pirates week-long throwing program. Then it was just a question of where he would suit up.
“New draft picks are usually more worried about were they will be than whether they will make the team,” Foster said. “I didn't know if I would be in State College or Florida.”
Foster stuck with the Bradenton team and made his first professional mound appearance on June 21 against the GCL Red Sox. He entered the game in the fifth inning and pitched one frame allowing one hit, one walk and no runs.
“It was intimidating to be pitching against the Red Sox for my first appearance,” Foster said. “The butterflies went away when I threw that first pitch. I felt comfortable and everything just fell into place."
Then on July 11 versus the same GCL Red Sox, Foster earned his first professional victory when he hurled 3.2 innings and relinquished five hits and one earned run. He struck out four and walked two, and notched the win when the Pirates scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to eke out a 5-4 decision.
One week later against the Reds, Foster made his initial start and pitched two innings of three-hit ball for a no-decision.
His best start was also a no-decision on July 27 when the right-hander limited the Orioles to no runs and just two hits over five innings.
“There was a stint of four straight starts where I threw well, and the game against the Orioles was my best start,” Foster said. “I actually didn’t feel great in my pre-game bullpen, but I shook off the cobwebs once I got out on the mound and everything just worked. I threw a lot of strikes and my velocity was good that day.”
Foster then discovered baseball can be a cruel game and a very humbling experience when he relinquished five earned runs and six hits over two innings in his next appearance.
“That next outing was just the opposite,” he said. “I felt good until I got onto the mound. The Orioles hit everything. They had a lot of bleeding hits, and then they had a couple of big hits that killed me. I had to tip my cap to them. Everyone has bad outings, and I think it helped me to go through a bad one.”
Foster finished the season at 1-2 with a 3.99 ERA. He was 1-0 with a 5.23 ERA in six relief appearances, and was 0-2 with a 3.54 ERA in eight starts.
“I like starting and relieving,” Foster said. “It takes a different mind set for both, though. I think the Pirates are grooming me as a starter, but we will see."
The GCL Pirates (37-19) won the South Division by two games over the Twins and then lost a one-game playoff to the eventual GCL champion Phillies.
“My team really came together after the first week,” Fosters said.”We all put in good efforts, and everything came together to make a playoff-caliber team. Our pitching was the best in the league, but we fell short against the Phillies. It was a good season.”
Foster said he won’t know until next spring whether he will advance to a Pirates Class A team.
“Zach’s first season was a solid introduction into pro ball,” Stark said. “Our goals for the first-year players include learning how to be a professional and adjust to the daily grind. Zach did a solid job of that, and that’s a credit to his upbringing and Coach Butler.
“We will bring Zach to the Florida Instructional League where he will get a crash course on our philosophies,” Stark added. “He will be expected to follow an individualized workout plan this offseason and then come into camp next spring ready to compete. Depending on how he reports to camp, I think Zach will be competing to make one of our full-season clubs out of spring training.”
Regardless of next year’s outcome, Foster plans on an eventual return to Pitt-Bradford to earn a degree.
“I’m definitely finishing school because I made a promise to my parents that I would,” Foster said. “I will miss playing ball with all my friends on the Pitt-Bradford team and hanging out with them. I had some of the best times of my life there.”