My Two Cents: It's Important to Remember Luis Patino is Just 22 Years Old
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — You can have all the rare physical talent in the world, but it takes a lot to learn how to be a major-league ballplayer. It's one thing to get there, it's another thing to stay. And when you're just 22 years, like Tampa Bay pitcher Luis Patino, there is still so much to learn.
So so much.
Patino, a Colombian native who won't turn 23 until October, was born with an enormous gift to be able to throw a baseball the way he does. He's one of the brightest prospects in the Rays' organization and a major piece of their future. He's going to win a lot of games in a Tampa Bay uniform, and no one doubts that. Not anyone with a shred of baseball knowledge anyway.
But there is also this matter of today, of being a part of a team in the thick of a pennant race, trying to lock up a spot in the postseason for the third straight year.
The Rays will need Luis Patino to do that. Well, they probably do. And that's exactly why they sent him back to Triple-A Durham on Sunday after another shaky outing on Saturday night in a loss to Kansas City.
This has been a very strange year for Patino, and he is still very much a work in progress. And the Rays are being very smart with him. He's still learning, still growing, still figuring it out.
And so are they. It's also best to figure out some of this in Durham as opposed to majors.
And why? Because there's too much at stake, both today and tomorrow, but also for all of those tomorrows down the road.
"He's been dealt a tough hand this year for a 22-year-old kid, from the short spring training, to getting hurt and then dealing with the blister and coming back up here,'' Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder said Sunday. "He's never been hurt, and you have to deal with all the psychological issues of that, too. This is all new to him. He's never had to deal with any of this before, and we all have to remember that he's very, very young.
"It's really hard to deal with all of this at the major-league level, too, because there's a whole other level of stress when you're here, trying to get big-league hitters out and winning games when you're on a team trying to win like we are.''
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Luis Patino (1) reacts after an apparent injury during the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field in April. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Patino never got comfortable in the shortened spring training after the lockout, and wasn't able to work at the right pace those first few weeks because of shoulder soreness. He got knocked around in his last spring training start start against the Phillies and then came up lame in his first start of the season, leaving in the first inning after just 13 pitches because of a left oblique strain.
He spent a month getting treatment, then another month or more building back up to starting games down in Durham. He pitched in four games there, throwing a total of 16 1/3 to mostly good reports. He came back to the Rays, and started on July 15.
His two starts at the big-league level haven't been particularly good. The velocity on his fastball was way down in that July 15 game against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. He lasted just 3 2/3 innings, giving up two runs and four hits and needing 56 pitches to get his 11 outs. His fastball was in the 92-95 range. It was high-90s a year ago.
On Saturday in Kansas City, his velocity was better, but his breaking stuff still was a long way off from being great. He threw four innings, giving up three runs with seven hits and three walks allowed. He wasn't fooling anybody.
It seemed, frankly, like the game was moving too fast for him. Like he wasn't quite ready to be on this stage, not quite comfortable enough yet with all of his pitches. The Royals hit the ball hard against him all night, with seven of their hits falling in the ''hard-hit'' category, meaning an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher.
That's why the Rays decided to send him back down to Durham. He needs more work, more seasoning, more — to put it simply — time.
For as much as we'd all like him to be ready right now, he's simply not.
Not yet, anyway.
But we also need to remember that this isn't easy. Luis Patino is learning that lesson every day right now, too. Nothing is going to be handed to him. The pressure is immense, and intense.
How he works through it is part of the daily grind, too. His daily grind. He's learning the hard way that you just can't show up and expect success.
"That's probably not raised enough, just coming to the majors for the first time and pitching with that intensity. It can be a battle for some of the these guys,'' Snyder said. "Luis is a huge part of our future, and he's still going to be a big part of this season, too, if we're going to go where we want to go.
"We're going to anchor down on some things we feel can help him, and lay some bricks a little bit better than we have so far. It's all part of the process. The pump in velo was a positive sign yesterday, and I think we just need to make sure we lay the foundation a little better.
Patino will get to Durham on Tuesday, and get right back to work. Patino is an organization-wide project, and everyone will work together to get him back to the big leagues as quickly as possible.
But that only makes sense if he's ready — and able — to get big-league hitters out on a regular basis. We still don't know that for sure, do we?
"We've got to make sure there's continuity to the message,'' Snyder said of Patino's demotion and the work that lies ahead in Durham. "He'll get there on Tuesday, and I'll have multiple conversations with Brian Reith (Durham's pitching coach), I already have, really.
"We're just going to sit down and anchor down on things that we feel can optimize him as a pitcher. From usage, to hands, to focusing on really fine-tuning the right delivery. He needs to get better, and it's our job – all of us — to make sure that happens.''
A lot of this falls on Patino himself, too, of course. Being young and cocky at 22 can be a good thing — we've all been there, right? — but it also has a lot of trap doors. We have been very spoiled by the growth and maturity of All-Star Shane McClanahan these past two years. He's gone from highly touted prospect like Patino to being the best pitcher in the American League.
We'd love for all of that to happen to Patino, too. There are plenty of people who think that can happen too, that he can be a top-of-rotation type of talent. He can have electric stuff, and his potential is off the charts.
But he needs to learn how to take care of his body and mind, too. He needs to learn how to best prepare for every start, to be physically and mentally locked in every time he takes the mound.
That's a process. That's learning. That's being 22.
Twenty-two.
Being in the major leagues for a week or two does not make you a major leaguer. Luis Patino has a bright future, and he's going to win a lot of games. He may very well win a lot of games this year.
But it's all about laying that foundation, like Snyder says. This is very much a work in progress.
So everyone needs to get back to work on making this better, and that starts with Patino himself.
Growing up isn't easy, and he's learning that the hard way.
Luis Patino made two starts for Tampa Bay this month, but neither went particularly well, which is why he was sent back down to Triple-A Durham on Sunday. (USA TODAY Sports)
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