Vance Worley: Another Phillies Super-Arm?

Vance Worley was first drafted by the Phillies in the 20th round in 2005, but opted instead to take a scholarship to Long Beach State in his home state of California. The Phillies maintained their interest in Worley, and drafted him once again in 2008 with their third-round pick. Worley signed with the Phillies the second time around and received a $355,000 signing bonus. In just his third season in professional baseball, Worley made his major league debut with the Phillies on July 24th, 2010 as he pitched one inning of relief against the Rockies and allowed no hits and no walks while striking out a pair.

Since then, Worley had been on the proverbial shuttle bus between Allentown and Philadelphia, not an uncommon state for many prospects on the fringe of being major league regulars. Its seems now though that those days could be drawing to a close for Worley who has had four separate stints with the Phillies so far this season. In his last major league tour of duty, and has compiled a dominant 8-1 record with a 2.35 ERA in 84 and a third innings pitched. Between June 29th and July 26th, Worley strung together a five-game win streak, culminating with a two-run complete game against the Giants.

While he was with the IronPigs in Rochester in early July, Worley talked about how far he has come, and what it takes to keep his mind and body in synch despite the constant change of scenery.

As far as his roots in baseball, it all began for Vance Worley as it does for many kids in America. There was a baseball and a bat, and he took to them both. His father however noticed that there was something extra in his son's approach to this game.

"What really got my dad thinking I would play baseball was this one time he was throwing be a ball and I got hit by it, so I started chasing him around with a bat-it was like 'yeah, he's got some fire.' [...] Growing up and going through high school, my dad said keep playing this game and good things are going to happen."

Good things did happen for Worley. After he was selected by the Phillies in 2005 and instead opted to go to college, he was able to perform to such a level that he not only maintained the interest of the Phillies, but was taken with their third-round pick three years later. As the dream of professional baseball became a reality, the next incentive became clear: keep working, keep getting better, and there will be a spot waiting at the next level.

Given where Worley is in the progression of his career, the incentives for high performance are now as grand as they come-an eventual full-time spot in a major league rotation. The aspect of reward has always been important to Worley, as evidenced by an all-American tactic that his father implored to keep Vance on target for accomplishing his goals in the game.

"One of the things my dad did was restore a 1968 Camero and said 'This car is yours, just don't screw up.' He told me to keep my head level, and to do everything asked of me. I said 'done.' So I think that's where baseball got me was that it was rewarding. The more you give to it, the more you're going to get something back."

That something has turned out to be major league opportunity with a large-market franchise. By looking at the numbers he has put up with the Phillies as of late and looking at the powerful build of the 6-3, 230-pound Worley, it's easy enough to assume he has achieved his initial success and earns his keep by blowing hitters away. Such is not the case, as Worley is now learning that it is not necessarily about pitching harder, but pitching smarter.

"Out of high school, I threw hard. I had okay off-speed stuff, but I was still growing into my body. I was the same size I am now pretty much, I was 6-2, 215 pounds when I graduated. I think they decided I would fill in a little bit more and maybe pick up a little more velocity-but I think I've actually lost velocity since then. In high school I sat 93-95. Since starting pro-ball, I've noticed that each year I've gone down about a mile an hour as far as where I sit, but I can still get it up there if I need it. I've figured out how to pitch now, and before I was more of a thrower."

As Vance Worley the thrower has matured into Vance Worley the pitcher, he has also learned to look at the big picture in regards to his position as a pitcher on the brink of being a major league regular.

Worley found himself in Rochester as a result of being sent down by the Phillies, however there is a back-story that paints a clearer picture of Worley's current status with the club.

After shutting down the Marlins for seven innings in which he allowed just two hits and no runs on July 4th, Worley was sent back down to the IronPigs not as a demotion, but as a vote of confidence in his ability. With the All-Star break on the horizon, the Phillies wanted to ensure that Worley got a start in prior to the short reprieve from the baseball schedule. He was told before leaving that he would be back to face the Mets in the first game following the break.

The alternative would have been moving back into the bullpen for the Phillies, which he did earlier in the season with relatively little success. Now, it is clear that he is valued to such a degree that the organization sees it as paramount to keep him in his routine. For Worley, this is the best situation he could ask for.

"When you're a starter and you're not in that routine and you don't have that feeling out there on the mound, it's hard to go out there and compete and have success because you're mentally not there for it even though you want to be."

Worley has appeared to be mentally present and then some with the Phillies this season, and one can only imagine how valuable he may become to a Phillies squad that is aging and injury prone in the back-end. With Worley on the doorstep of one of the best starting rotations that the game has ever seen, the opportunity to see the final stages of his minor league career have been exhilarating for IronPigs fans. Vance Worley is one of those players with the ability to remind those watching what minor league baseball is truly all about at its core as the fields on which the future of the game is built.