This is a terrific article that highlights Guthrie's dedication to Christ and illustrates the way in which his faith elevates his performance:Jeremy Guthrie: 'Blessed' with baseball
By Josh Land
Carroll County Times
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Jeremy Guthrie seems at peace.
Five years after being drafted by a third big-league team Guthrie is finally in the majors full time, replicating the success that made him Cleveland’s first rounder in 2002.
Guthrie moved into the Orioles’ rotation at the beginning of May when it became clear that Jaret Wright’s sore shoulder wouldn’t be easily fixed by 15 days on the disabled list.
Since then, Guthrie has been far more than an adequate replacement. The 28-year-old right-hander leads the American League with a 1.59 ERA this month, allowing five runs in 28 1-3 innings over four starts.
“He certainly has been pretty darn good,” said Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo. “His stuff’s good enough. He attacks the strike zone. You’ve got to like that.”
Guthrie can explain the things that have made him successful.
He’s confident and aggressive, throwing over the plate rather than nibbling the edges. His velocity is in the mid-to-upper 90s. He’s keeping the ball low.
While that’s part of why he’s doing well, Guthrie believes there are other factors beyond his control.
Guthrie went on a two-year Mormon mission to Spain at age 19 when he didn’t do as much as pick up a baseball — let alone throw one.
When he came back, Guthrie says he began throwing better than ever before.
“I was 10 times the pitcher I was when I came home within a month than I ever was 19 years in the making,” Guthrie said.
“So there’s no doubt in my mind that those two years — just because of the dedication and the sacrifice I made in leaving something I enjoyed for something that I wanted to do, in order to focus on other people and not myself any longer — obviously it’s blessed me and since I came back, I’ve pitched well.”
Guthrie grew up in Oregon, where he was a three-sport star and his senior class valedictorian.
The New York Mets liked Guthrie enough to select him in the 15th round of the 1997 first-year player draft directly out of high school. The opportunity to immediately play professional baseball was tempting.
The Mets were offering a large sum of money, but Guthrie had planned to do the mission for his Mormon church since he was much younger.
Guthrie talked with the Mets and asked if they’d be willing to sign him, let him serve his two years abroad and come back to pitch when he was done.
The Mets didn’t like that option.
“So I said, ‘Well, I’ll go to college, do my mission and then see what baseball brings in the future,’” said Guthrie.
Guthrie attended Brigham Young University in Utah the next fall and played baseball for the Cougars his freshman year.
Guthrie struggled, allowing a team-worst 15 homers in a team-high 64 2-3 innings while pitching to a 6.54 ERA that season.
After completing his first year of college, Guthrie left for Spain.
The Mormon Church encourages young men to begin serving as missionaries between the ages of 19 and 21.
Missionaries, as explained on the official Web site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, work voluntarily on behalf of the Church for either 18 months or two years, sharing the religion’s message. They are not paid to do so and are expected to cover their own living expenses wherever they serve.
Guthrie said his mission involved long hours of proselytizing with a few hours of community service sprinkled in each week.
“So it was 10 in the morning to 10 at night every single day,” said Guthrie. “You’re not expected to think about anything other than the message you’re sharing and find the people that are interested and willing to listen.”
That meant no baseball.
“It was a difficult decision,” said Guthrie. “But in reality, I knew what I wanted to do and believed with all of my heart that if baseball was something I was to do, it would be there when I got home. If it wasn’t, I was willing to accept that all the way.”
For Guthrie’s sake, and later the Orioles’, baseball was there when he got back.
Guthrie lost 20 pounds while away and had no idea what would happen when he returned.
Before the hiatus, Guthrie said he threw in the 89 to 92 mph range his only year at BYU.
Something strange happened when he got back.
Guthrie said two months into his training, his velocity had jumped to the 92-96 mph range for no practical reason.
“God blesses me in ways that I can’t really express full gratitude for,” Guthrie said. “For whatever reason, I feel like he’s really chosen me to bless me with this talent more so now than before.
“That’s really the only explanation I have because I came home and I threw harder than I did before, threw better, had better pitches all of a sudden, and I didn’t work on it. I didn’t do anything to do it, so it can’t be me and it couldn’t have been anything that I did to increase my ability.”
Stanford then took a chance on Guthrie without knowing much about him and wouldn’t regret it.
Guthrie had one of the best two-year runs in Cardinal history from 2001-02, earning All-America honors both years and, at the time, was the only pitcher to ever win 13-plus games in multiple seasons.
The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Guthrie in the third round after his sophomore year, but nothing became of it because of Pittsburgh’s organizational turnover. Guthrie said the Pirates offered him a contract the day before school started, but he chose to return to Stanford.
Guthrie finally turned pro after his junior season when Cleveland took him 22nd overall in the 2002 draft. The Indians gave him a $3 million signing bonus and expected him to rise fast.
But Guthrie never had prolonged success above Double-A while in the Indians’ system until 2006. Guthrie made it all the way to Cleveland in each of his last three years with the organization, but posted a 6.08 ERA in 16 major league appearances. He went 40-36 with a 4.40 ERA in 101 minor league games.
With Guthrie out of options and the Indians unsure whether he was ready for the majors, they put him on waivers when they needed room on the 40-man roster for newly signed outfielder Trot Nixon.
And the Orioles feel fortunate to have snapped him up.
Perlozzo and vice president Jim Duquette said the Orioles did everything they could to make Guthrie feel comfortable after pitching-rich Cleveland didn’t.
“He even said it was like he was being auditioned,” said Duquette. “There are enough guys out there that if you show some confidence in them — ‘We’ve got faith in you and you’re on the club’ — guys settle into a routine and I think that’s what’s happened so far for him.”
Guthrie made the team as a long reliever out of spring training, but has been far more impressive in the rotation. He’s efficient with his piches and keeps at-bats short with good location of his fastball.
In helping the Orioles make up for the loss of two starters on the season-opening roster, Guthrie believes he’s being rewarded for putting his religion well ahead of baseball on his list of priorities.
Guthrie felt the same way when pitching so dominantly at Stanford.
“As it was happening, it was almost like it wasn’t me doing it,” he said. “It was almost at the point where I didn’t realize what I was doing to be successful, but was just enjoying the game and having fun.
“I feel like I’m back to that more now. Maybe in theory I’m doing the same things, but it’s more the attitude and the gratitude that has helped me to grow.”
And the Orioles hope that growth and that success continues.
By Josh Land
Carroll County Times
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Jeremy Guthrie seems at peace.
Five years after being drafted by a third big-league team Guthrie is finally in the majors full time, replicating the success that made him Cleveland’s first rounder in 2002.
Guthrie moved into the Orioles’ rotation at the beginning of May when it became clear that Jaret Wright’s sore shoulder wouldn’t be easily fixed by 15 days on the disabled list.
Since then, Guthrie has been far more than an adequate replacement. The 28-year-old right-hander leads the American League with a 1.59 ERA this month, allowing five runs in 28 1-3 innings over four starts.
“He certainly has been pretty darn good,” said Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo. “His stuff’s good enough. He attacks the strike zone. You’ve got to like that.”
Guthrie can explain the things that have made him successful.
He’s confident and aggressive, throwing over the plate rather than nibbling the edges. His velocity is in the mid-to-upper 90s. He’s keeping the ball low.
While that’s part of why he’s doing well, Guthrie believes there are other factors beyond his control.
Guthrie went on a two-year Mormon mission to Spain at age 19 when he didn’t do as much as pick up a baseball — let alone throw one.
When he came back, Guthrie says he began throwing better than ever before.
“I was 10 times the pitcher I was when I came home within a month than I ever was 19 years in the making,” Guthrie said.
“So there’s no doubt in my mind that those two years — just because of the dedication and the sacrifice I made in leaving something I enjoyed for something that I wanted to do, in order to focus on other people and not myself any longer — obviously it’s blessed me and since I came back, I’ve pitched well.”
Guthrie grew up in Oregon, where he was a three-sport star and his senior class valedictorian.
The New York Mets liked Guthrie enough to select him in the 15th round of the 1997 first-year player draft directly out of high school. The opportunity to immediately play professional baseball was tempting.
The Mets were offering a large sum of money, but Guthrie had planned to do the mission for his Mormon church since he was much younger.
Guthrie talked with the Mets and asked if they’d be willing to sign him, let him serve his two years abroad and come back to pitch when he was done.
The Mets didn’t like that option.
“So I said, ‘Well, I’ll go to college, do my mission and then see what baseball brings in the future,’” said Guthrie.
Guthrie attended Brigham Young University in Utah the next fall and played baseball for the Cougars his freshman year.
Guthrie struggled, allowing a team-worst 15 homers in a team-high 64 2-3 innings while pitching to a 6.54 ERA that season.
After completing his first year of college, Guthrie left for Spain.
The Mormon Church encourages young men to begin serving as missionaries between the ages of 19 and 21.
Missionaries, as explained on the official Web site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, work voluntarily on behalf of the Church for either 18 months or two years, sharing the religion’s message. They are not paid to do so and are expected to cover their own living expenses wherever they serve.
Guthrie said his mission involved long hours of proselytizing with a few hours of community service sprinkled in each week.
“So it was 10 in the morning to 10 at night every single day,” said Guthrie. “You’re not expected to think about anything other than the message you’re sharing and find the people that are interested and willing to listen.”
That meant no baseball.
“It was a difficult decision,” said Guthrie. “But in reality, I knew what I wanted to do and believed with all of my heart that if baseball was something I was to do, it would be there when I got home. If it wasn’t, I was willing to accept that all the way.”
For Guthrie’s sake, and later the Orioles’, baseball was there when he got back.
Guthrie lost 20 pounds while away and had no idea what would happen when he returned.
Before the hiatus, Guthrie said he threw in the 89 to 92 mph range his only year at BYU.
Something strange happened when he got back.
Guthrie said two months into his training, his velocity had jumped to the 92-96 mph range for no practical reason.
“God blesses me in ways that I can’t really express full gratitude for,” Guthrie said. “For whatever reason, I feel like he’s really chosen me to bless me with this talent more so now than before.
“That’s really the only explanation I have because I came home and I threw harder than I did before, threw better, had better pitches all of a sudden, and I didn’t work on it. I didn’t do anything to do it, so it can’t be me and it couldn’t have been anything that I did to increase my ability.”
Stanford then took a chance on Guthrie without knowing much about him and wouldn’t regret it.
Guthrie had one of the best two-year runs in Cardinal history from 2001-02, earning All-America honors both years and, at the time, was the only pitcher to ever win 13-plus games in multiple seasons.
The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Guthrie in the third round after his sophomore year, but nothing became of it because of Pittsburgh’s organizational turnover. Guthrie said the Pirates offered him a contract the day before school started, but he chose to return to Stanford.
Guthrie finally turned pro after his junior season when Cleveland took him 22nd overall in the 2002 draft. The Indians gave him a $3 million signing bonus and expected him to rise fast.
But Guthrie never had prolonged success above Double-A while in the Indians’ system until 2006. Guthrie made it all the way to Cleveland in each of his last three years with the organization, but posted a 6.08 ERA in 16 major league appearances. He went 40-36 with a 4.40 ERA in 101 minor league games.
With Guthrie out of options and the Indians unsure whether he was ready for the majors, they put him on waivers when they needed room on the 40-man roster for newly signed outfielder Trot Nixon.
And the Orioles feel fortunate to have snapped him up.
Perlozzo and vice president Jim Duquette said the Orioles did everything they could to make Guthrie feel comfortable after pitching-rich Cleveland didn’t.
“He even said it was like he was being auditioned,” said Duquette. “There are enough guys out there that if you show some confidence in them — ‘We’ve got faith in you and you’re on the club’ — guys settle into a routine and I think that’s what’s happened so far for him.”
Guthrie made the team as a long reliever out of spring training, but has been far more impressive in the rotation. He’s efficient with his piches and keeps at-bats short with good location of his fastball.
In helping the Orioles make up for the loss of two starters on the season-opening roster, Guthrie believes he’s being rewarded for putting his religion well ahead of baseball on his list of priorities.
Guthrie felt the same way when pitching so dominantly at Stanford.
“As it was happening, it was almost like it wasn’t me doing it,” he said. “It was almost at the point where I didn’t realize what I was doing to be successful, but was just enjoying the game and having fun.
“I feel like I’m back to that more now. Maybe in theory I’m doing the same things, but it’s more the attitude and the gratitude that has helped me to grow.”
And the Orioles hope that growth and that success continues.
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