Pitching prospect Trevor Reckling looks good in Angels’ 5-3 loss to San Francisco
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The Angels got a good look at one of their top pitching prospects Friday when 20-year-old left-hander Trevor Reckling, starting in place of Jered Weaver, gave up two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 5-3 exhibition loss to the San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Leadoff batter Erick Aybar had three hits, including a run-scoring triple to spark a two-run seventh inning that gave the Angels a 3-2 lead. Howie Kendrick knocked in the go-ahead run with a single, and David Aldridge doubled and scored in the inning. The Giants rallied for three runs in the eighth inning off reliever Francisco Rodriguez.
Reckling was reassigned to minor league camp earlier this month, but when the Angels decided to start Weaver in a triple-A game, so as to better control his workload, Reckling, an eighth-round pick out of St. Benedict’s (N.J.) Prep in 2007, got the call to start in a big league game.
Though Reckling tired in the fourth and fifth innings, walking three, he showed a firm fastball and a sharp-breaking slider in his first three innings, in which he allowed no runs and two hits. After giving up a leadoff double to Aaron Rowand in the first, Reckling retired Edgar Renteria (fly to right), Andres Torres (grounder to third) and Aubrey Huff (grounder to first) to escape the jam.
‘You could see the stuff -- I think he just got a little tired,’ Manager Mike Scioscia said. ‘He did a great job early with his fastball/breaking-ball combination. It was real good to see.’
Reckling’s overall command was also a lot better than it was in his last spring start, when he walked three in two innings against Cincinnati on March 10.
‘The last time, I tried to do too much,’ Reckling said. ‘I tried to overthrow instead of being in control and just playing catch with the mitt. ... Facing big league hitters, the crowds ... you get pretty nervous, but when you get on the mound that all goes away, because you’re playing catch.’
Reckling, who went 8-7 with a 2.93 earned-run average in 23 starts for double-A Arkansas last season, is expected to open 2010 at triple-A Salt Lake, but he could work his way onto the Angels’ depth chart with a solid first half.
‘He’s showing he’s ready for the challenge of triple-A,’ Scioscia said. ‘How he progresses remains to be seen, but he could be on our depth chart very soon. ... He has some deception in his delivery, and he has three very good pitches. At a young age, there’s going to be a learning curve, but he’s come a long way.’
When Reckling gets that first call to the big leagues, a familiar and friendly face will be in the Angels’ clubhouse to greet him. Center fielder Torii Hunter has taken Reckling under his wing this spring, and the two have become fast friends.
‘He’s like a brother to me now,’ said Reckling, who turns 21 on May 22. ‘He’s taught me a lot, about how to go about your business on and off the field. After each start, he goes over what I did right and wrong. He’s been a great mentor to me.’
--Mike DiGiovanna, reporting from Scottsdale, Ariz.