With the Cardinals having more of a younger team, one of the youngsters they will focus on is lefthanded pitcher Liam Doyle from Tennessee, whose fastball last year sat in the upper 90s and touches 100 miles per hour. He was the fitth overall choice in the draft and their highest selection in 27 years.
Last season, as a junior at Tennessee, Doyle struck out 164 of the 385 batters he faced, a 42.3 strikeout percentage. His average of 15.5 strikeouts per nine innings was the top mark in Division 1.
Once he reported to the Cardinals, Doyle instantly became the best pitching prospect in the organization, and we listed him in our “Ten Most Interresting Players to Watch” for this upcoming year. What will be interesting is to see how aggressive the organization will be with Doyle, who likely will begin the season at Double A Springfield. The Cardinals are not counting on him reaching the majors this season, but he could alter those plans depending on how well he pitches and what openings might develop within the rotation.
After he was drafted he started at FLC Cardinals and rose to Palm Beach, Springfield and the Cardinals brought him up in August. He finished the season at Palm Beach in the whirlwind year he had last year.
Doyle said this off-season and the upcoming Spring Training he will be having more of a serious attitude than he did when playing on his college team.
“It’s definitely more of a professional aspect where you are doing more on your own,” he said. It is his first Spring Training with the big league club.
He says he has a pitching schedule given to him by the team. He is throwing four to five times a week and has thrown a few bullpens.
While some players spend the majority of the offseason in Florida, he spent the winter in Southern New Hampshire (near Boston) where he is from and just headed South on Sunday (Jan. 18). Pitchers are not required to report until Feb. 12, so he is getting there early so he will be ready.
This time last year he was still in college, but in about a month he starts his first Spring Training. He said his offseason work-out was filled with training he learned at Tennesses, plus he is on a pitching schedule and has been working out in a facility in his hometown, looking forward to Spring Training. His biggest goal for the winter was to stay healthy and maintain his body mass.
“That’s always been very important to me the last few years,” he said.
To hear the entire interview with Liam Doyle, click the audio player below:
