BREWING up a star
Local Jim Henderson steadily making a name for himself in MLB
You could liken their role to a goaltender in hockey, a calm-under-pressure performer.
A closer or a ninth-inning pitcher in baseball can handle the pressure, the encouraging (or fickle) home crowds, and discouraging road ball-parks.
A closer has to be aware of every possible scenario because, unlike a starter who is stringing together a rally in the early stages of a clash, closers have to scratch and claw for a single run late in the game. And, in the ninth inning, opposing teams will throw everything they have at you. Pinch-hitters. Bunts. Steals.
A closer can win you games — or lose them for you.
Which, essentially, makes Jim Henderson perfect for the job.
“I always ask myself the question now I’ve made it to the big leagues after so long: how would I have handled it differently?” the Calgarian was saying the other day, long after his season with the Milwaukee Brewers ended with a 3-2 loss to the New York Mets on Sept. 29. “If I would have made the big leagues five or six years ago, would I have been able to handle it better or not? “I don’t know.” Turning 31 years old on Oct. 21, it’s hard to believe Henderson has just completed his first full season in the Show — his first 162-game Major League Baseball grind after being drafted by Montreal (23rd round) in 2003 and paying his dues in the systems of the Chicago Cubs and Brewers.
Last summer, Henderson, the former product of the Calgary West Little League, Calgary/Okotoks Dawgs, and Tennessee Wesleyan College, made his big league debut. The date — July 26, 2012 — is a memorable one. This year, making the opening day roster, was huge.
But, just like was when he was knocking at the front door with the Nashville Sounds, the Brewers’ tripleA affiliate, his role — and attitude — hasn’t changed.
“Even in the minor leagues, it was the same game,” the six-foot-five righty says. “But I feel like I’m better prepared at my age to make adjustments. I definitely think my maturity level and how old I am has helped me in the ninth inning, for sure.
“You get put into pressure situations and that’s pretty much all I pitched in for the majority of the year was close ball games.”
“Whether it’s home or away games, just to deal with the pressure of the crowd and the situation. I definitely think I handle it better now than five or six years ago.”
Five years ago in 2008, Henderson was in the minors and underwent a much-needed shoulder surgery and things started changing. His velocity increased — and continues to increase each year.
Videos on Henderson’s iPad would show a power guy with an unorthodox delivery that creates problems for hitters, especially right-handed ones. His fastball picks up speed on the way to the plate while his arm comes across his body, wraps around and causes batters to lose the ball momentarily in his delivery.
But with the maturity gained from his extended pro career in the minor leagues, he was able to put together a 5-5 campaign with an earned-run average of 2.70, 28 saves, and 75 strikeouts in 90.2 innings pitched, saving most of his games in the second half.
The Brewers, themselves, finished strong and won 12 of their last 18 games but were 14 games below .500 overall. Their infield was hit by a rash of injuries. Both first baseman Corey Hart and third baseman Aramis Ramirez had their seasons ruined by knee injuries. Eventually Rickie Weeks suffered a season-ending hamstring injury. Then Ryan Braun was suspended for an unspecified drug violation.
But, personally, Henderson had encouraging discussions with the front office at the season’s end which saw him share the bullpen with assorted young arms such as Brandon Kintzler and Rob Wooten.
And he fully plans on taking advantage of the opportunity in front of him — possibly being the team’s closer next year.
Still, amid all the highlights, Henderson wasn’t completely satisfied.
“The last month of the season, I struggled a bit,” he said, noting his slider needs work and he plans to add a split-finger pitch or changeup for lefties. “You never make excuses, but it was a long season. My first big league season and you add a camp on that we had at the beginning of the year, it was long.
“I think that’s going to drive me in the off-season, to get even better next year.”
Henderson, facing the same hitters on a regular basis, found that players began catching onto his tendencies and started making adjustments.
The entire business of analyzing batters is new to him, too, as there are no bullpen coaches in the minor leagues, no scouting reports, no charts. Everything was based on past experiences and mistakes.
“The biggest thing for me when I go into a game is I like to know what hitters swing at the first pitch and we have those percent- ages,” Henderson said. “(With the Brewers) they have everything broken down about what (hitters) like and don’t like. I’m mostly going to pitch to my strengths. I’m not going to pitch to a hitter’s weakness unless he is really good against my strengths.
“That’s the big difference between the big league and minor league bullpens is you have more information available to you.”
Before every series — say, a four-game stretch against the Chicago Cubs — the bullpen pitchers will attend meetings in a board room with pitching coach Rick Kranitz and bullpen coach Lee Tunnell and analyze video on every hitter.
For example, Andrew McCutchen, the Pittsburgh Pirates centre-fielder and a favourite to be the National League’s MVP, was struggling early in the year. Henderson said they started pitching to how he was struggling and, later in the year, he caught on.
“Hitters change throughout the year and we need to be aware of that,” he said. “Those videos help. Those scouting meetings help. And we can just take that information into the bullpen.”
However, those technical aspects are something Henderson stays away from in the off-season because, he says, hitters change from year to year and make adjustments. They’ll start slow, trying to pick up their timing in Spring Training, and he may follow certain hitters during the post-season and World Series. But studying them in the winter is not necessary.
Besides, he is more focused on watching his own film in the off-season — especially this offseason.
Relocating from Calgary to Phoenix with his girlfriend Erica Cottini, Henderson felt it would be a good idea to immerse himself in the Brewers strength training facility and work directly with team personnel.
The hard work will continue because the 30 year old knows that even though he is exactly where he wants to be — finally — it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to stay there.
“I’ll look at the other young guys that come up and I don’t really feel sorry for them now, how quickly they made it up there,” said Henderson who will earn the MLB minimum wage for two more seasons until he reaches arbitration when he can negotiate a heftier salary. “If they go through some struggles, I don’t mind. I mean, everybody is going to go through some struggles, but I’ve gone through 10 years of it in the minor leagues. I just feel very fortunate to be here right now.”
“I still feel like I’m trying to climb up the ladder … I’ve had that attitude for 10 years in the minor leagues. I still have that attitude now.”