Harben looks for right mix

By Steve Batterson
Quad City Times

Striking out 116 batters in 96 1/3 innings this season places Swing of the Quad-Cities pitcher Adam Harben among the Midwest League's elite.

But the right-hander isn't impressed.

"I don't pay a lot of attention to that stuff. There was a time when I did, but there's more to it than that," Harben said.

That realization is one reason Swing pitching coach Gary Lucas believes that Harben is making the kind of progress he needs to make this season.

"He's got the type of fastball that he can overpower hitters at this level. But for him to take that next step, he's got to slow it down a bit, mix things up," Lucas said. "His ability to mix pitches and speeds well is what will help him get to the next level.

"Adam is showing more flashes of what type of pitcher he can be, but he's still striving to find that consistency from game to game. Throwing every pitch at 95 mph doesn't do a lot for his development. It takes time."

Lucas points to Harben's past two starts.

Last Thursday at Peoria, Harben leaned a little too much on his fastball. Against Battle Creek five days earlier, he was mixing and matching pitches too frequently, and the result was a loss and a start which lasted just 2 2/3 innings, his second shortest of the season.

"The place we're trying to get to is somewhere between those two. It's a matter of finding the right mix," Lucas said.

Harben realizes that now more than ever.

"I'm trying to find that comfort zone that will give me the best chance to have success against each batter," Harben said. "Last year I wasn't as smart. I went out and just tried to blow it by guys. Now I try to challenge hitters with more than my fastball.

"I'm trying to keep the ball down and force some groundballs and let my defense help us win games."

Reaching that point takes some time.

Lucas views the development of Harben and another Swing pitcher who is spending his second summer in the Quad-Cities, Scott Tyler, in a similar vein.

"They've both made a great deal of progress from last season to this season. And for both of them, I think it's taken some time for them to realize that what they could get by with in the past isn't going to carry them from this point on. And that's typical of young pitchers," Lucas said.

"Here we do what we can to encourage them to mix things up as they work. At higher levels, those things will probably be mandatory."

Harben had plenty of time during the offseason to let that soak in.

In addition to daily workouts, he spent five nights a week waiting tables where he came to two realizations.

First he discovered that most customers are lousy tippers.

And second, he embraced the idea that adjusting and learning will help him work his way up the Twins' company ladder.

"Waiting tables wasn't great, but it gave me a few extra bucks, and it made me realize that I've got a pretty good job and that I need to do what I can to make the most of it," Harben said.

The Maumelle, Ark., native, a 15th-round pick of the Twins in 2002, posted a 5-6 record with a 4.33 ERA last season for Quad-Cities. This season he's 5-5 with a 3.08 ERA for the Swing.

"I feel like I'm making progress and taking some steps forward, and that's what I'm here to do," he said. "I want to find ways for us to win games and get into the playoffs. We're capable of that."

Harben said the Swing's six-game winning streak earlier this month provided the hint of that possibility.

"Even with the new pitchers that came in last week, we've got a pitching staff that can win a lot of games," he said. "I think if we stay together and can find a way to string some wins together, we've got a chance to finish this season real strong as team, and that's what I want to be a part of.

"I don't care how many strikeouts I get, the win is the main thing. That's what it's all about."