UTR Interview: Daniel Bard

Daniel Bard - Boston Red Sox

2009 Stats:
AAA- 1-0 1.13 ERA, 6 saves, 16 inn, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 29 K, 16.31 K/9
MLB- 2-2 3.65 ERA, 49 app, 1 save, 49.1 inn, 41 H, 20 ER, 22 BB, 63 K, 11.49 K/9

LINK: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReW1Gaw5bkI&feature=related

In this game, there are guys who are blessed to be as good as they are, and there are guys that work to get where they are. Charlotte, N.C. native Daniel Bard is a true example of both. Yes, he is a player with rare physical abilities; but, it is his desire to succeed and better his game that have allowed him to achieve all that he has. I had the privilege of getting up with Bardo for some questions for Under the Radar. Hope you guys will benefit from this as much as I have.

UTR: At what point in your life did you a) realize that you wanted to be a Major Leaguer and b) realize that it was an achievable goal?

DB: As crazy as it sounds, I think I truly wanted to be a Major League baseball player since I was 5 or 6 years old. My dad played minor league baseball, so it was always a very real and plausible thing for me. I honestly had no other plans in life as far as what I wanted to do when i grew up because my mind was so set on becoming a big leaguer. There were definitely times when I was 13 or 14 years old when I was not nearly the best player on my team, but I just chalked it up to the fact that I figured I was a "late bloomer". I kept working with the mentality that I just needed to make myself a little bit better each day, not focusing on the ultimate goal of reaching the big leagues, and over time, you realize that you're making huge strides toward that goal.

UTR: Mechanically with your delivery, what is the thing you focus on the most?

DB: This is something that can change for me from year to year or even week to week, depending on what I'm working on or struggling with at the time. I would say my main keys to my delivery are keeping my front side closed as long as possible (late hip rotation), as well as driving the ball down through the bottom of the zone. After facing major league hitters, I have really come to realize the importance of downward angle on the ball. To me, downward angle with a little bit of deception will get hitters out consistently, regardless of velocity or amount of movement.

UTR: What is one of the best pieces of advice that you have ever received?

DB: I would have to say it's my Dad telling me from a young age to have fun playing the game. If it's not fun anymore, it's not worth playing. That doesn't mean if you don't enjoy putting in the work in the offseason or between outings that you should just give it up. I don't particularly enjoy doing conditioning in January, but it's all necessary for the preparation for the season, which is where the real fun is had. I think a big part of having fun for me, even when was having a terrible season in A-ball in 2007, was enjoying the camaraderie of your teammates. No matter how things are going for you on the field, always enjoy the feeling of being on a team and hanging out with your friends on a daily basis. The relationships you form in your baseball career will long outlast your days on the field.

UTR: Which hitter over the course of your career was/is the toughest out?

DB: Right now I have to say Mark Texiera. He has gotten the best of me a couple times. He took me deep on a slider, then I got him out with fastballs up and in, but I tried to repeat it the next time I faced him and he adjusted, cleared his hips and put it in the right field bleachers. He makes adjustments as well as anyone I've faced, but I look forward to the challenge of facing him for years to come.

UTR: You hear some guys say it is better to pitch to contact and then others talk about trying to miss bats? Which do you prefer and why?

DB: Definitely pitch to contact, but pitch to weak contact. To me, that means making quality pitches within the zone early in the count. I've found that when I pitch to weak contact, my strikeout numbers actually go up. I find myself consistently getting in better counts (0-2, 1-2), which allows for you to try to throw a swing and miss pitch, out of the zone. At that point, if you don't get the swing and miss you were looking for and get to 2-2, it's time to pitch to contact again. I'm big on visualization, before outings, or even between pitches during a game. I try to visualize the pitch I'm about to throw, whether it's a fastball, slider, change-up, whatever, and I see the hitter taking a poor swing and breaking his bat or making weak contact. It will instantly increase your confidence in that pitch when you picture it blowing up that hitter's bat in your mind. Sounds crazy, but it works for me.

UTR: Talk about a time when you had a difficult stretch that you had to overcome. What were some of the things you did to persist and overcome that stretch?

DB: I had an absolutely miserable season in 2007, my first full season of pro baseball. I started the year in high-A and was soon demoted to low-A after 5 terrible starts and some arm troubles. I finished that year with an ERA around 7 and more walks than innings pitched. Talk about a wake up call. It was tough to s truggle so badly at something that had always come so easy to me. It was tough to realize that this dream of playing baseball for a living might come to a halt a lot sooner than I wanted it to. It turned out that it was probably the best thing that's ever happened to me in my career. It forced me to realize that there's so much more to life than baseball. I had great famil y and friends who supported me despite my huge disappointments on the field. I went in to my 2008 season with a new outlook. I was going to work as hard as I could at what I could control, and let the things outside of my control take care of themselves. I was going to try to enjoy the people I was with, no matter what level I was playing at. They sent me back to low-A to start that season. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, thinking that I was a first rounder and I'm the oldest guy on this team, and I deserve to be at a higher level, I just tried to make the best of the situation, enjoy the people I was around every day, and work my butt off. This new approach paid off quickly, and I spent about 6 weeks there before being promoted to AA. This promotion was much more appreciated becau se of the struggles and the work that was required to earn it.

UTR: Is there a thought or general mentality that you take with you to the mound from game to game that works well for you?

DB: We have a mental skills coach in our organization that I have gotten to know very well in my time with the Red Sox. I didn't realize the importance of mental toughness in baseball until I reached the professional level. It is amazing how knowing y ou're going to get someone out, and truly believing it and having that attitude out on the mound, will get most hitters out. You will have more confidence and conviction in your pitches, which results in physically throwing better pitches. I've heard pitching coaches say that the "wrong" pitch in a situation can become the right pitch if it's thrown with confidence. I truly believe this and it's a big part of my game. If the catcher puts down a slider because of what the scouting report says, but I am second-guessing whether or not I can execute that pitch, then its not the right pitch! I'm better off throwing a fastball dow n and away to this guy, because that's the pitch I'm going to throw with confidence and it's probably going to be a much better quality pitch. It's like throwing your breaking ball 0-2 versus 3-2. Most pitchers can throw a filthy breaking ball in an 0-2 count because they have nothing to lose and they throw it with confidence, but in a 3-2 count, most pitchers slow everything down and try to make a perfect pitch, end up "aiming" the ball, and they either hang it down the middle of the plate or miss the strike zone badly. It's the same pitch, just thrown with a different mentality. If you can learn to take the confidence you throw your pitches in an 0-2 count to ALL counts, you will be a better pitcher because if it.

UTR: You have one of the most respected catchers' in the game, Jason Varitek, as your catcher. What kind of impact did he have with you on settling in Boston?

DB: It's nice to have a catcher that you can fully trust behind the plate. Tek is one of the smartest players I've ever been around at any position, and on top of that, the guy studies opposing hitters with the focus of Woody studying for finals at Carolina (that was a joke). But seriously, his brain is like an encyclopedia of at-bats and scouting reports that goes back more than a decade. He remembers everything. To have a guy like that, who's caught 4 no hitters, calling pitches for you, well I'll just say it helps you feel a lot of confidence in what pitches you're throwing.

UTR: Do you have any advice for guys on how to handle pitching in "big" games?

DB: I would say don't be afraid of the extra adrenaline that comes with pitching in big games. My stuff, command, etc. has been better in the biggest games I've pitched in, going back to high school state championships, college world series games, major league debut, and playoff debut. I think you just have to take those "butterflies" or whatever you want to call them and use them to fuel your desire to win, rather than your fear of losing or failing. Curt Schilling told me that he would get ridiculously nervous before every game, all the way into the last year of his career. He told me this in spring training right before he was about to face a bunch of minor league hitters in an exhibition game. He said his stomach was in knots. You wonder why big league closers struggle in non-save situations? It's because they've become so accustomed to pitching with their heart pounding and adrenaline pumping, that it's hard for them to pitch when they are feeling calm and relaxed in a non-pressure situation. In summary, it's not about getting rid of butterflies before a big game, it's about finding a way to use them to your advantage. You have the ball. You control the timing of the game. If it speeds up on you, step off and take a breath. The butterflies aren't gonna go away.

UTR: What drives, or motivates you to be successful in this game?

DB: I think it's a personal desire to succeed and see how my abilities match up with the best there is, regardless of what level I'm pitching at. When I was in high school, I wanted to be the best high school pitcher around. Same in college and the minor leagues, and now in the major leagues. I don't want to be the best for the recognition but more for the satisfaction that comes with achieving a personal goal. More importantly, what I want to get o ut of baseball. I want to positively impact the lives of everyone I come across in baseball, whether it's teammates or coaches or fans or younger players. Baseball has given me a great opportunity to do that, and I'm eternally thankful for that.

Many thanks to Bardo for taking the time to answer some questions for the blog. There is no doubt that his advice and experience can have a great impact on other pitchers' game and their ability to succeed.