Jesse Biddle, the Philadelphia Phillies’ 2010 draft pick, looks to be a promising pitcher for the major leagues as seen in spring training.
As he made his way down to Clearwater, he felt confident about his future plans for baseball. The left-handed pitcher with a 94 mile-per-hour fastball spent the past year on the Lakewood BlueClaws, one of the Phillies’ six minor league teams. He says the team is great to be a part of. With new coach and former All-star Mickey Morandini on the staff, Biddle thinks the team has room to become even better.
“In an area with people who care about baseball and a great coaching staff, it really creates a winning environment.”
Another aspect affecting his game is the opportunities he is given by learning from major league players. At practice, the minor leaguers share the complex with the Phillies, so he has the chance to meet some of the players that he looks up to, such as Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and a player that gave him the chills when he first talked to him, Chase Utley.
Biddle says that he watches them at practice and learns more and more from them everyday. Biddle also has become good friends with Dominic Brown and Vance Worley, who have played in the major leagues during the Phillies regular season. He claims that it inspires him and, “seeing the major league players, the best of the best, is great motivation.”
So where does he go from here? Biddle predicts that he will be playing for the Clearwater Threshers for most of spring training, and he will also get to play in some of the Phillies games as well. He says that the hardest part is not letting the excitement of everything get to him.
“A big opportunity like this is something that I can’t take lightly. I’m making my dreams into a reality and sometimes it is a challenge to not become too caught up in the moment,” said Biddle, “I have to realize that I’m here to play my game of baseball and I can’t take it too seriously.”
When questioned about his decision to go to the minors instead of attending college, he said he has no regrets about his decision. Although there are moments that he would have liked to know a little bit about college life, he is more than happy with his choice to continue the game.
“I’m living the life, playing the game I love, and I get to come and relax and Florida, why would I regret that?”
In high school alone, he went 5-0 with a 0.64 ERA, striking out 61 batters in 33 innings pitched. In his professional career, he had 41 strikeouts in 33 ½ innings last season. His pitching repertoire consists of mainly his fastball along with a change up and slider with slower speeds, in addition to his curveball and two-seam fastball, which seem to need the most improvement. During the 2010 draft, prospect website Baseball America claimed that Biddle was the number two prospect for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Biddle, with his impressive fastball, stands 6’4” and weighs 225 lbs, which helps to aid in his pitching force. As he makes his way to the major leagues, this player is someone to keep an eye out for.