Kevin T. Czerwinski - MLB.com
Tim Alderson is still a teenager. Let's let that sink in for a minute.
He's 19 years old and pitching in the California League. Oh, and for what it's worth, he's pitching well.
This is the same California League that usually eats pitchers up and spits them out. This is the same league that inflates offensive numbers to a point where mediocre prospects can actually look good. Yet, here's the high school kid from Arizona whom the Giants used one of their first-round picks on in 2007 flourishing in what should be a trying setting.
Alderson, who was selected to the California League All-Star team but did not pitch in this week's game against the Carolina League, stood 6-3 as the San Jose Giants returned to action Thursday night for a first-place showdown with Modesto. He boasts a 3.29 ERA, eighth-best in the league, and has allowed only one home run in 79 1/3 innings.
So while most kids his age are wondering whether or not they'll be able to get the car keys from Dad during the summer, Alderson is busy living up to being the 22nd pick in the Draft.
"If I'm making it look easy then I guess I'm doing a good job," said Alderson, who threw only five Arizona League innings last summer after signing with San Francisco. "It's really been tough. Every single hitter in this league is a tough out. If I've had some success, it's because I have these guys playing some wonderful defense behind me and covering for me when I make mistakes.
"It's been tough. I have friends who went off to college and who are now home on vacation. But I'm living a dream. I'm pretty sure a lot of people would love to have my opportunity, and I'm going to make the best of it."
Though Alderson has looked very good for the most part (have we mentioned he's only 19), he hasn't won since May 18. He's 0-2 in six starts since his last victory but his 3.52 ERA in those games remains a good indication that even when he's not winning, he's never that far off. Alderson has allowed one earned run or less in four of those six starts.
"I'm not surprised and the only reason I say I'm not surprised is because I thought he would be able to pitch at this level when we left Spring Training," said San Jose pitching coach Pat Rice. "I didn't know the success he'd have, but he is a very competent kid. He has pretty good stuff and that can make up for a lot in a fairly good hitters' league. I am surprised that he's 6-3 and made the All-Star team. He could probably be 10-1."
One area that was a cause of mild concern earlier in the year was Alderson's walk total. But he's made some adjustments and has cut down on the number of free passes he's issued. Alderson has allowed 25 walks this season. But after issuing a season-high five May 18, he's allowed only six in his last 30 2/3 innings.
Rice said it was just a matter of Alderson getting comfortable and realizing he could attack the zone and the better hitters in the league as easily as he did last year in the Arizona League and in high school.
"The strike zone is a lot smaller here," Alderson said. "And the hitters have a lot more discipline. You really have to be perfect. I had to adjust to that smaller strike zone. I wasn't walking many people in high school or last summer. I'm sure the people back home have noticed the good amount of walks I have."
So where does all this leave Alderson? Well, probably in San Jose for the remainder of the year. The Giants have never been shy about pushing their prospects, but at his age, a full year in the Cal League might work more in his favor than having him go up to the Eastern League and possibly getting hit a little harder.
It will also give San Francisco's player development folks a bit more time to examine what some observers have tabbed as Alderson's herky-jerky delivery. He's unorthodox, but he gets the job done.
"People will probably go off on him about his mechanics but he's able to repeat every pitch," one scout said. "And the thing is, he's not even 20, so that was a pretty good pick. When I saw him, he was between 88 and 92 [mph] and was pretty good. He's the same way as [Oakland prospect Trevor] Cahill though Cahill is a step higher than him."
Concerns about his delivery are natural, leading another scout to wonder whether Alderson's future doesn't lie in the bullpen where he won't have to do as much work or pitch as many innings. Those are questions, though, that don't need to be answered now.
"That [questions about his delivery] would probably be the first thing I'd say," Rice said. "But he gets himself in a good position to throw. He has a funkiness that happens, but he gets himself in a good position when he has to. If he can keep things right and not cheat in his delivery, then there's not a whole lot of concern there.
"It's like [San Francisco's Tim] Lincecum. It will look different. But it's things that can be cleared up without working too hard. Right now it's all about getting him comfortable in pro ball."
It certainly seems the Giants have been successful in that regard.
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