Manny Delcarmen

[yagmaster]

Age: 22
Born: February 16, 1982
Boston, MA
Height: 6-2
Weight: 190
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Drafted: 2nd Round, 2000
How Acquired: Draft
High School: West Roxbury (MA)
ETA: 2007

Scouting Report: Boston native always dreamed of playing for the Sox. His career was on the fast track with a mid 90s fastball, and a great curveball - until he injured himself in May 2003. Delcarmen had Tommy John surgery in May 2003, but returned to the mound a year later in May 2004.

source: http://www.soxprospects.com/players/delcarmen-manny.htm

He would be a great story if he makes it. Has looked impressive so far for Sarasota.

[yeszir]

I'll update you on his most recent game I guess:
[code]Sarasota IP H R ERBBSOHR ERA
Manuel Delcarmen (L 0-3) 2.0 4 6 5 2 5 1 6.88[/code]

He didnt look to impressive. :unsure:

[Zenny]

Manny's been K'ing people left and right, but he has yet to be consistent with location and pitch selection. Some of that is the product of the catcher he's working with, but the command is something that should return soon enough.

I'd say he has #2 starter upside, but it's more likely that he'll be a #3 or so.

[yagmaster]

I'll update you on his most recent game I guess:

CODE
Sarasota IP H R ERBBSOHR ERA
Manuel Delcarmen (L 0-3) 2.0 4 6 5 2 5 1 6.88

Prior to this bad start, Manny had less than a 4.50 ERA. I hope he can rebound from this start and live up to his expectations.

[Zenny]

I know I said on June 17th that Manny could be/should be a #2 or #3, but the more I think about it, he really could become a ace. Now that he is performing again in the FSL, I really like his upside. I honestly do believe that he could be the next ace of this franchise.

[Zenny]

Interview by the Royal Rooters:

RSN: Your last outing was a scoreless five innings with nine strikeouts. Was it your best game so far this year?

MD: Most definitely. All of my pitches were working and it's the best I've felt since coming back. My last few starts weren't great, so it was nice to finally put everything together. Sometimes I've thrown well but the numbers weren't there -- my coaches would agree with that. This time it was like clockwork.

RSN: Where are your arm-strength and velocity right now?

MD: They're real good -- I think I'm back to 100%. As a matter of fact, I might be even stronger. Last year I was consistently at 93-94 and now I'm sitting on 96 and topping out at 98.

RSN: What about command?

MD: I can't say it's great yet, but I'm making progress. I know there are going to be bumps in the road, but Monday was the first time everything felt like it did pre-injury.

RSN: Have you spoken to anyone who's had the same procedure?

MD: Jerome Gamble had it a few years ago -- he's pitching in Portland right now. He told me his velocity came back and there haven't been any problems. I also talked to Chad Fox, before he went to the Marlins, and he said he came back stronger. It was good to hear those things from guys who went through it.

RSN: Are you on a pitch-count?

MD: I am. They're limiting me to either five innings or 75 pitches. Next season I should be back to normal, and it will be a big year for me. The second year after surgery is supposed to be telling, and I'll be working hard this winter to make sure I'm ready.

RSN: A good change-up was considered key to your development, and at the time of the injury you were making progress with it. Tell us about that.

MD: A few years ago I was told that if I don't find one, they'd send me back to the Instructional League. I worked hard at it -- trying different grips -- and came up with a pretty good one. It's a circle-change like Pedro's, and it's been an important pitch for me. My curve was good last night (Monday), but the last few outings I had poor command of it. That meant I needed a solid change even more.

RSN: Tell us about your curveball.

MD: It's normally my out pitch, so I'm not sure why I lost it for a few games -- maybe I was thinking about it too much.

RSN: What kind of curve do you throw, and do you change speeds on it?

MD: I throw it around 71-73 for strikes -- a 12-to-6 with a big break. I'll also throw one a little harder -- about 76 -- low and out of the zone when I'm ahead in the count. It's not a slider, but I'm looking to get hitters thinking fastball and chase.

RSN: Talk about your evolution from a thrower into a pitcher. Where, and when, did that come?

MD: Coming out of high school I knew that location would be important and I'd need to make adjustments. It was a real big step moving up to face professional hitters -- everyone in pro ball can play, which isn't the case in high school. My first year in the Gulf Coast League my mechanics were brutal. Ralph Treuel really helped me with that, and I've received a lot of good instruction at every level. My mechanics were solid by the time I reached Augusta, but my change-up was bad. It's an ongoing process, but I think I'm a pretty fast learner.

RSN: Let's go back to your injury for a moment. Talk about what happened.

MD: I was throwing a great game, leading 1-0 in the 8th. I gave up a home run that tied it up and my elbow went numb on the pitch -- it was a change-up. I was lifted after that, but not because of my arm. I didn't say anything about it to anyone, and while it felt a little weird for a few days it seemed okay by my next start. I went three innings when suddenly it went numb again and my velocity dropped from 93 to around 80. I knew that something was obviously wrong.

RSN: Had you had any arm injuries prior to that?

MD: No, there were never any problems -- that was the first time.

RSN: You grew up locally and were the first player from inner-city Boston drafted by the team in over 30 years. What did that mean to you?

MD: It was a great feeling. I used to go to Fenway as often as I could when I was younger, and always dreamed of playing for the Red Sox. Scouts from other teams would come to the house and I'd barely listen to them -- I'd say that I wanted to play in Boston.

RSN: Tell us about draft day.

MD: I wasn't even home when the call came. The phone had been ringing off the hook and I wanted to get out for awhile. I didn't have a cell phone with me, and when I got back several hours later there were all kinds of cars and television cameras outside of the house. My mom came running out when she saw me -- she had tears in her eyes -- and said that the Sox had taken me. Everyone was really happy, and it meant a lot to the community -- especially the Spanish-speaking community.

RSN: Like Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz, you're of Dominican descent.

MD: I am. I have family there and in Boston. Pedro is my idol. My father, who played shortstop in the Phillies organization, used to say to me: "Just watch how he pitches." One of my biggest thrills was having Pedro come up to me in spring training and say: "You're Manny, right? You hurt your arm." Having him even know my name was special. I've always loved watching him pitch.

RSN: Tell us about some of the guys you're playing with in Sarasota.

MD: Charlie Zink is down here now -- he's really cool. He reminds me of my buddies from back home. Jon Papelbon is really funny. I can hardly even explain Jon -- nobody else is like him. I get along with everyone down here.

RSN: What do you guys do together when you're not playing?

MD: We hang out. We play cards, have barbeques. Everyone here has their interests and it's kind of fun how we're different. I like R & B and rap, but some of the guys listen to country and I'm starting to like it, too. I go home and play George Strait and people look at me funny and ask what I'm playing!

RSN: Last question: Do you have any superstitions or nicknames?

MD: Nah, not really. My roomie was calling me "Prince" for about a week because I had sideburns and my hair was a little long in front. That didn't last, though -- thankfully.

RSN: Thanks for talking to RedSoxNation, Manny. Good luck on making it back home to pitch.

MD: You're welcome. It was my pleasure.

This kid is the man. He's our next ace. With that kind of heat, that kind of curve and a developing change. Wow.

[Cambridge]

FWIW: The Delcarmen interview is from RedSoxNation.net. Can you please credit the source or include a link the next time you lift something verbatim and in entirety? Thanks.

[Zenny]

Originally posted by Cambridge@Aug 12 2004, 08:53 PM
FWIW: The Delcarmen interview is from RedSoxNation.net. Can you please credit the source or include a link the next time you lift something verbatim and in entirety? Thanks.

Oh, I forgot to do that. I'm sorry, I always do that. I quoted their interview in the Shoppach thread and I hope I put it there. I also post on baseball.com and every interview I come across of their's I quote and credit. My mistake, I wasn't looking to take credit for that.

[Cambridge]

I didn't mean that I thought you meant to take credit, only that the source should be recognized -- I appreciate your response. You're welcome to use my interviews if we're properly credited. They're done to help entertain and educate the fans of Red Sox Nation (us).

[Zenny]

Originally posted by Cambridge@Aug 12 2004, 09:55 PM
I didn't mean that I thought you meant to take credit, only that the source should be recognized -- I appreciate your response. You're welcome to use my interviews if we're properly credited. They're done to help entertain and educate the fans of Red Sox Nation (us).

Hey, keep up the great work with those interviews. They are by far the best source to get Sox prospect information outside of checking the stats nightly.

[yeszir]

Amen. Not to mention, they're an enjoyable read.

[Cambridge]

Thanks for the kind words -- I appreciate the support.

Good luck, also, on your own site. There's always room for more Sox talk.