Holding their heads up

Pitching coach Chris Bosio says confidence is crucial if young Rays pitchers hope to improve.

By TOM JONES
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 28, 2003

ST. PETERSBURG -- Chris Bosio could be on a sliver of plastic foam in the middle of the Pacific at the center of a monster typhoon inside a school of blood-thirsty great whites at dinner time with one peanut M&M in his pocket, and he would think, "Ah, the great outdoors."

That's just the nature of the Devil Rays pitching coach, always looking at the bright side of things even though he carries a perpetual scowl. There are optimists, and then there is Bosio, who hunts for the positives in the worst of worst-case scenarios.

That might make him the perfect guy to pilot a pitching staff so fresh-faced that it looks more suited for a college campus than the pitching mound at Yankee Stadium.

He's the key master of the Rays' confidence, bound and determined to keep the chins of his young staff up even when things are going down.

"My biggest challenge this season will be keeping these guys positive no matter what is going on," Bosio said. "It's essential."

Having an electric fastball, a wicked curve and an ankle-breaking changeup might be nice or even essential, but if a pitcher doesn't have confidence, he might as well be tossing batting practice.

"Confidence might be the most critical thing for a pitcher," Rays starter Nick Bierbrodt said. "It's like anything. If you have confidence, you give yourself a better chance to succeed. Whether you're pitching, or hitting, or doing just about anything in any walk of life, if you don't have confidence, you're probably not going to be successful."

While most staffs have the calming influence of a veteran or two, the Rays kiddie staff has spent little time toeing big-league rubbers. Only one of the Rays' five starters (Steve Parris) has started more than 100 games in the big leagues. The whole staff has totaled 291 starts -- or, to put that in perspective, two fewer starts than Roger Clemens (573 starts) has victories.

The entire staff's payroll might be the smallest in modern baseball history. At about $4-million, the Rays staff makes as much as Philadelphia's Kevin Millwood. Just another example of how young, raw and unproven it is.

Confidence hasn't been earned, and it's probably the one thing it needs most as it is about to be thrown to the wolves, not to mention the Angels, Red Sox and A's. That's where Bosio comes in.

"The first thing we tell them is to keep their head up," Bosio said. "This staff is going to be one of confidence. We're not going to dwell on negatives. I believe in staying positive with this staff, telling them how good they are, telling them the good things that we're seeing rather than what happened last year. We don't give a (blank) what happened last year. This is a fresh start for those guys. We're behind these guys."

For instance, when Joe Kennedy was roughed up for 10 hits and nine runs in less than two innings Wednesday, Bosio's first reaction wasn't to kick over a cooler and chew off Kennedy's face. Just like every day, he met with the night's previous starter, reviewed game tape and pointed out the things Kennedy did well rather than all the things he did not.

"Even through the toughest times, we're going to find the good things," Bosio said. "We're going to stay positive at all times. Fear is contagious. If one guy has it, it's like the dogs are out and you can smell it. We want confidence. Confidence breeds positive results."

The best way to do that, Bosio said, is to equip the staff with information. Bosio fills binders and binders with charts and hitters' tendencies. He reviews videotape with each pitcher. He preaches unpredictability and using a pitcher's strength as much as an opponent's weakness.

So far, it's working.

"I've really been impressed with our young pitchers," manager Lou Piniella said. "They've shown a lot of poise."

Except for Kennedy, the Rays starters have been impressive. And confident.

"There are going to be times with a young pitching staff that we're going to have our ups and our downs," Bosio said. "But I think the message is clear. We want passion, intensity, willingness to accepting the challenge of facing anybody.

"And, most of all, be confident."