When Nick Hagadone says he's altering his changeup, there's a bit of a reaction. He said this week, "When I threw it before, I used to pronate my hand really hard right at the end. Now I just try to keep it the same as how I throw my fastball, just because that's the pitch I hurt it on. So I think that might have been part of the problem."
It was Hagadone's changeup that changed the course of his career, resulting in Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery that had him making his first start Saturday for Single A Greenville since pitching just 10 innings last season. But it might have been his slider or fastball.
"I know he did it throwing a changeup, but these things aren't usually one-time deals," said Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen. "Had he not thrown that changeup, it could have been done five pitches later on a fastball or a slider. There was some calcifications of the ligament already, which means there was some prior trauma to the ligament.
"So it wasn't necessarily that one pitch, that one changeup. We continue to push the use and development of his changeup."
But that development will come slowly. Hagadone, a lefthander ranked third in the Sox system by Baseball America, will work on his pitches and on getting stronger the rest of the year, preparing for a full season in 2010.
"This year is going to be a regeneration/rehab year for him," Hazen said. "I mean, he's not going to be pitching in the big leagues for us. So we just want to see him get his regular work in, take the ball every five days, and be healthy."
Hagadone, who hit 97 miles per hour on the radar gun Saturday, said he was a bit disappointed in his command. And it's difficult for him to be satisfied by going just 1 2/3 innings after being on the shelf for a year.
"I'm a very impatient person, so the process seemed way longer than it actually was," he said. "Over the 12 months, I couldn't wait to get back on the field every day. I was just looking forward to it. I wish it would have come a lot faster."
Hagadone said the pain is gone for the most part, though there are still days when he has to take more time warming up.
The frustration is natural. While the Sox' first pick in the 2007 draft is getting his arm in shape and returning to the mound, his teammates have another year of development and are progressing through the system. Hagadone, meanwhile, has spent more than half a year in Fort Myers, Fla., without the competition and spotlight he craves.
"It's the development of his delivery, the development of his changeup and his slider, command of his slider and his changeup," Hazen said. "You lose that when he didn't pitch for an entire year.
"Those are the things we want to get back to, so next year when he comes back in . . . he's got to hit the ground running from a delivery/command standpoint. We need to work on his tempo, effort level within his delivery, and really refine his command."
"Very advanced behind the plate, running a game, throwing, blocking, game-calling," Hazen said of Federowicz. "Working with a pitching staff, very advanced. The bat's been really good, consistent.
"He's a pretty impressive kid. Give the scouting department credit for where we got him. He's been one of our most consistent performers offensively and defensively. He's very calm back behind the plate. He invests a lot of time with the pitchers."
Federowicz, out of the University of North Carolina, is hitting .323 this season with 8 home runs and 16 doubles in 47 games. He has 28 RBIs and an .899 on-base percentage. He's been hot lately, with a .395 average over his last 10 games.
