Pirate pitches in to help youngsters
A visiting Major League Baseball pitcher says the future is bright for young New Zealand baseballers.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steven Brault was in Nelson on Thursday, on the third stop of a tour to help coach young Kiwi pitchers.
Along with running a pitching clinic, Brault visited Nelson College and Waimea Intermediate School to talk to aspiring players about the game.
He said he was impressed by the natural talent he’d seen during his time in New Zealand.
‘‘What I’ve noticed the most is the raw talent with kids who just have athleticism – but throwing a baseball or pitching is just such a different skill set, it needs to be worked on.
‘‘It’s not like athletes in America are any better than athletes here – they’ve just been more conditioned in baseball movements. Once [Kiwis] have coaching for years, they’re going to be good.’’
Like many MLB players, Brault’s own journey to the big leagues was a long one.
The San Diego native went undrafted out of high school, going on to play at Regis University in Colorado, where he majored in musical performance. After being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2013, the 26-year-old spent three years in the minor leagues before making his Major League debut with the Pirates in 2016.
Brault said hard work was key for any young player looking to make it to the top level.
‘‘There’s many reasons why we call baseball ‘the grind’.
‘‘Most people don’t even make it to the major leagues. For those that do, it’s a long process working in the minor leagues, working on your craft and learning the game of baseball, just getting better.’’
Brault said that, if anything, the grind got even tougher once a player made it to the major leagues.
‘‘If throwing a ball 10,000 times makes you a master of it, I’m like 30 times past that, and I’m still nowhere near.
‘‘Baseball’s hard, man. Especially when you get up to the major leagues, the guys are just so good, you’ve got to keep improving or you get left behind.’’
As well as working on baseball, Brault said the trip was a chance to have some downtime before the start of the 2019 season.
‘‘It’s been awesome. I’m a huge Lord of the Rings fan, so I went to Hobbiton and Weta Workshop . . . all of the normal touristy things you’re supposed to do.’’