Player Journal: Savery psyched for Clearwater

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Player Journal: Savery psyched for Clearwater
04/08/2008 12:02 PM ET
By Joe Savery

The 19th overall pick by Philadelphia in 2007, Savery posted a 2.73 ERA for Williamsport in his pro debut after earning All-American honors three times as the premier two-way player in the nation at Rice. The 22-year-old southpaw then posted a 0.64 ERA for the Peoria Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League.
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Hello everyone! A lot has happened in the last three weeks, as we are now almost a week into the regular season. As Spring Training wrapped up, I learned very quickly that the last few days of camp can be very tough. The reality that some young men will be released and sent home comes to life. It's a tough situation for all those involved and knowing that I would have somewhere to play this year makes it even harder when I try to find the words to say.
In addition, some players become frustrated with their team assignment. Players will often feel like they deserve to be at a higher level and the news of being sent elsewhere can be devastating.

I was assigned to the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers of the Florida State League. This was good news for many reasons, including the fact that I wasn't going to have to move. Clearwater is where our Spring Training home is and so the only moving I had to do was from one locker room to the other. This is also a great place for a first-year player to start his career and the warm Florida weather will certainly be better than the cold up north in Pennsylvania.
But the best part of being assigned to this team were the few off days we had after breaking camp. Because of these few off days, I was given permission to go home to Houston. I was so thankful that the Phillies allowed me to fly home and see all my family and friends before the season started. This allowed me to get away from the game for a few days and get rejuvenated for the long season.
On the field, I got to throw on Opening Night in Clearwater against the Dunedin Blue Jays. It was an interesting night to say the least, as I actually made my first professional relief appearance behind Phillies' closer Brad Lidge, who was on a rehab assignment. Because of the proximity of Clearwater and Dunedin, I am living with two of the players from the Dunedin team who I have played with and against over the past few years. They are both position players and I wanted more than anything to get them out, so I wouldn't have to hear about it at home that night.
My outing was okay, as I threw five scoreless innings, but I struggled with my command and walked five. I will throw again on Tuesday night, April 8, at home against the Fort Myers Miracle.
Now let me answer a few of your questions:
Who has been the biggest influence in your development as a baseball player and in what ways? -- Thomas S.
Up to this point in my career, I would have to say that Coach Wayne Graham, who I played for at Rice for three years, has been the biggest influence. I was, and still am to some extent, a raw player and coach helped to refine that. He helped me in finding the pitches that would work for me and did this while allowing me to also compete as a position player. His amazing track record with pitchers speaks for itself.
What is the travel like during the season and does that have an effect on your performance? -- Drew M.
That's a good question. The Florida State League has arguably the easiest travel in all of Minor League baseball. There are only a handful of places where we will stay overnight. Most of the trips are day trips. I think travel can have an impact especially for big guys like me who don't fit very well into a bus seat. But I only play once every fifth day, so I have to believe it is going to have more of an impact on everyday players. It is just something you have to get used to because travel will always be part of baseball.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.