Madden thriving far from home

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Madden thriving far from home
05/30/2008 10:00 AM ET
By Tim Britton / Special to MLB.com

The first thing you have to deal with when you're from Alaska, says Corey Madden, is the stereotypes. The months of light and darkness, the cold, the isolation -- they're not quite as bad as some people might think.
"My hometown is about 250,000 people," Madden said. "So it's not really small."
Neither is the road the Anchorage native has traveled to the Greensboro Grasshoppers and the South Atlantic League. Madden, a reliever, is having a breakout 2008 season, with his ERA standing at a sparkling 0.91 through 19 appearances. Batters are nearly three times more likely to strike out against the right-handed fireballer than to get a hit.
But these days, Madden is proud of something else: the fact that he's the only Anchorage native in Minor League Baseball. Anton Maxwell and Jamar Hill, friends of Madden's back home, have recently been released, leaving the 2001 Gatorade Player of the Year in Alaska flying solo.
"Now I'm the lone ranger," Madden said. "I really do take a sense of pride in being from Alaska and Anchorage."
Anchorage does boast some famous sports alumni. New York Ranger Scott Gomez, college basketball star Mario Chalmers and former offensive lineman Mark Schlereth are all born-and-raised Anchorage-ites. Major Leaguers Curt Schilling, Shawn Chacon and Josh Phelps were also born in the city, but Madden was quick to point out that they left "before they even knew they were in Alaska."
Madden's 4,500-mile journey from Anchorage to Greensboro started in typical fashion: he was just following his older brother. He started tee ball when he was seven, moved through Little League as a shortstop and catcher before becoming a star pitcher at East Anchorage High School -- home to one of the best high school baseball programs in the state.
Madden credits a lot of his success in high school to his coach, Tony Wylie, who helped him mature on the mound. He also says the time he spent behind the plate gave him a head-start when he switched ends of the battery.
"When I did first start pitching, I had an idea of how to pitch guys: come in sometimes, throw off-speed," Madden said. "Catching is a tribute to the way I throw now. I have a little short-arming action, and a lot of people say there's a little deception involved in that."
His high school career was highlighted by taking home that Gatorade Player of the Year trophy in 2001.
"To get an award like that -- I didn't even think about it," Madden said. "I was just starting to get my fastball, started to get a little stronger and started to pitch a lot better. But there's not a lot of talk. Baseball doesn't get that much hype up there, so you don't get distracted by people talking about awards you might get."
Unfortunately for Madden, a similar absence of hype defined his college recruitment -- or lack thereof. The pitcher didn't receive any scholarship offers and planned on trying to walk on at Nevada or UNLV before getting in touch with Jed Soto, the coach at Feather River College in California. Soto gave him a chance, and Madden ended up following the coach to Saint Mary's College two years later.
Madden was drafted in the 45th round by the Cubs after a rocky junior season for the Gaels, but decided to stay at Saint Mary's to right the ship. After a solid senior year, he was selected by the Marlins in the 21st round of the 2006 Draft.
An up-and-down rookie season was followed by what Madden called "a mental letdown" in 2007, when he admitted he came into camp with his arm out of shape. In his first stint with the Grasshoppers, he was hit hard and had an ERA of 12.00 in eight appearances.
He salvaged the season in the New York-Penn League with the Jamestown Jammers, likely saving his spot in the Marlins' organization in the process. Now in 2008, Madden is making the most of a second chance.
"This place is awesome," Madden said as he surveyed NewBridge Bank Park on a perfect May afternoon. "I played in Jamestown last summer. Coming from Jamestown to Greensboro..." he trailed off with a smile. "We get treated real well here. The fans are great, the people love this team and they support us a lot. I really love playing here."
And the hardest thing to get used to? Well, it's sort of a cliché. "It's a little warmer here," said Madden, whose hometown in Alaska rarely sees temperatures rise above 65 degrees.
But warmth isn't all about mercury on the thermometer, as Madden has discovered as a Grasshopper. "[I had to get used to] how friendly everybody is," he said. "Everyone wants to be nice, wants to introduce themselves. In Alaska, it's not as much that way."
It's been a tumultuous 4,500-mile trek for the pitcher whose home state calls dog mushing its official sport. But now in Greensboro, Madden has a grin almost big enough to cover the distance to Anchorage.
"This is the one thing I've always said I wanted to do, more than anything else. I could be a science teacher. I could do this, that, but baseball's been the number one thing I've always wanted to do," Madden said. "I'm just happy to keep playing baseball. Being in Greensboro makes it that much better."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.