SAL notes: Stankiewicz detours to success

Rare are the times when high school pitchers taken in the second round turn down the opportunity to play for pay and instead opt for a stint in the junior college ranks. Yet that's exactly what Greenville pitcher Teddy Stankiewicz did in 2012, which is a gamble the right-hander is making pay off in a big way.

The New York Mets used the 75th overall pick in the 2012 Draft to select Stankiewicz out of Fort Worth Christian High School in Texas. At the time, the 6-foot-4 righty displayed solid command of an 88-91 mph fastball that touched 94 and a low 80s slider with solid potential. The Mets, however, offered Stankiewicz an under-slot bonus, which, combined with a few other factors, led to his attending Seminole State Junior College in Oklahoma.

A year later, the Boston Red Sox called Stankiewicz's name with the 45th overall pick in the 2013 Draft. The pitcher had increased the velocity of his fastball and slider while at Seminole State, with the former topping out at 96 mph and sitting at 90-94. He also displayed a greater feel and more consistency with his breaking ball. While a minor physical issue delayed his signing briefly, the Stankiewicz came to terms on a contract calling for a reported bonus of $915,000.

"Going to Seminole helped me a lot," Stankiewicz said. "It helped with my top number, but we also did a lot of running and things like that, which helped me get in really good shape. That improved my endurance and helped me keep my low number higher, which made me more effective. I was able to keep pitching deeper into games while maintaining the velocity of all my pitches."

The improvements and added polish that Stankiewicz showed at Seminole State led the Red Sox to send the pitcher to Lowell in the New York-Penn League to begin in his professional career. He made nine starts and registered a 2.29 ERA while the Boston brass limited him to 20 innings. Despite the small workload, Stankiewicz says his first taste of pro ball proved beneficial.

"It was great to get a little taste of what pro ball is all about," Stankiewicz said. "It helped set the stage for this year, where I'm getting a full grasp of what pitching a full season entails. I love it. [Pro ball] has been a lot better than I expected. There are some days that are tougher than others, but I love what I'm doing."

The 20-year-old from Keller, Texas, has endured a few tough outings this season before bouncing back with solid showings. He allowed five earned runs, including a pair of homers, over four innings in his season debut at Kannapolis on April 6 but followed with two victories while tossing 11 shutout innings in his next two outings, against the Intimidators and Savannah.

He posted a similar three-game stretch earlier this month, giving up nine hits and five earned runs over five innings at Rome on June 6, only to post his best and longest start on June 11 against Charleston. Stankiewicz limited the RiverDogs to two hits over seven shutout innings to earn the win before giving up one unearned run and two hits in six frames against the Sand Gnats on June 20.

"I feel that every time you take the mound, you have to learn from it, regardless of whether you do good or bad," said Stankiewicz, who had a 6-4 record with a 3.39 ERA in his first 13 starts with the Drive. "Either way, there are always things to improve upon. I always try to take from every start the little things that I need to work on and make them better in my next start. So far this season I've been able to do that."

Stankiewicz adds that ironing out a few inconsistencies in his delivery with Greenville pitching coach Paul Abbott also has contributed to his success this season. The positive environment, including the impressive facilities at Fluor Field, has Stankiewicz comfortable with his situation and the progress he is making.

"Everything is going really well, and I'm pleased with the way I've been able to fix some things mechanically, which has helped me a lot," Stankiewicz said. "I just need to keep doing what I'm doing, which means throw strikes and get some outs."

In brief

Giolito, Harvey named to Futures Game: Hagerstown's Lucas Giolito and Delmarva's Hunter Harvey were selected to play in the Futures Game and are the only two tabbed from the low Class A ranks this season. The 16th overall pick in the 2012 draft, Giolito is 2-2 with a 2.59 ERA and has limited opponents to a .186 batting average. Harvey, the 22nd overall pick in 2013, is 4-4, 2.98 in 13 starts and has held hitters to a .200 norm.

Crawdads cruising: Four Hickory pitchers combined to shut out Kannapolis, 2-0, on June 23 to extend the Crawdads' winning streak to eight games, including five straight to open the second half. Starter Akeem Bostick retired the final 14 batters he faced while allowing two hits and no walks and striking out seven over five scoreless innings. Hickory proceeded to win its ninth consecutive outing on June 24 in an 11-10 slugfest with Kannapolis.

Greensboro hitters hopping: The Grasshoppers pounded out 16 hits, including at least one by all nine batters, in a 14-2 win over Lakewood on June 23. Carlos Lopez had three hits after entering the contest in a 2-for-27 slump. Felix Munoz, Austin Dean, Justin Bohn, Cody Keefer and Yefri Perez stroked two hits each. Munoz entered the contest on a 1-for-19 slide.

Drive make adjustments: All-Stars Jantzen Witte and Joe Gunkel and catcher Jordan Weems were promoted from Greenville to Class A Advanced Salem after last week's SAL All-Star Game. Witte was the team's top hitter, ranking third on the circuit with a .330 batting average while tying for first with 24 doubles and placing second with 54 RBIs. Nevertheless, the Drive produced 20 hits in a 14-6 victory over Asheville on June 23, with Aneudis Peralta stroking four hits and Jake Romanski recording three hits and five RBIs.