By Rob Ervin
When the Hamilton Joes’ pitcher Billy Kitchen was looking for a place to play summer baseball, he had a short but important checklist. He wanted to face top competition, he wanted a chance to perform in front of Major League Scouts and he wanted to be on a competitive team. Check, check and check.
After allowing only one earned run in nine innings versus Anderson on Monday July 28, Kitchen’s E.R.A dropped to an eye-popping 2.06 as Hamilton fights for a play-off spot in the last week of the season.
“It’s gone as good as it can go,” Kitchen said about the year so far. “It’s a real competitive league with serious competition. There are a lot of (NCAA Division I) players. For me, summer ball is as important as school ball. It’s important for scouts to see me.”
Like bears to honey, major league scouts have flocked to Foundation Field whenever Kitchen and his 93 mph fastball take the hill. One Major League organization in particular has shown interest in the 6’4” 190 lb. 21-year old. Kitchen took part in a workout for the team on July 24, in Indianapolis. That kind of attention is what draws top prospects like Kitchen to the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.
“There were guys I knew in the league that were scouted. This is a serious, competitive league that brings next level opportunities,” he said. “A lot of guys have come to watch me pitch and (pitching coach) Pete Chavarria and Coach D (manager Darrel Grissom) have had a lot to do with those guys coming to see me.”
Fans sometimes may not notice a major league scout in the stands, but Kitchen says the players certainly do.
“It creates a good nervous,” he said. “It’s definitely the situation I want to be put in. When you’re pitching and you have radar guns behind the plate, no matter how focused you are, you see them. It makes you bring out your best.”
Kitchen had Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) reconstruction, or "Tommy John Surgery” in December of ’07, so he missed summer baseball last year, but was able to come back and pitch for Sinclair Community College in the spring. He’s thrilled about his time with the Hamilton Joes and the Great Lakes League and is telling other ball players about the opportunities available.
“I’ve talked to guys from Sinclair and other players I know and I’ve brought them to the games and they can tell it’s good league,” he said. “I’ve got nothing but good things to say about it.”
Joes’ president and owner Mike Brennan is excited to have guys like Kitchen representing his team. “Billy is a great example of what we’re trying to do with the Joes,” he said. “He’s an excellent ball player and a tough competitor on the field and a real gentleman and fine young man off the field.”