By JAY LeBLANC
May 29, 2008

Two months to the day after the Washington Nationals made him the sixth overall pick in the MLB draft, Ross Detwiler found himself atop the pitchers' mound at Turner Field in Atlanta, Ga., last Sept. 7. On his back was a gray Nats road jersey bearing his last name and the number 29. In the stands were more sets of eyes than had ever been fixed upon him at any single time before. And digging in at the plate to begin the bottom of the eighth inning was Atlanta Braves outfielder Andruw Jones, a player with five All-Star game appearances, a World Series title, a 50-home run season and more than 350 career dingers under his belt.

Jones grounded out to second. The next hitter, Yunel Escobar, reached on an error by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, but still the tall, thin 21-year-old southpaw kept his cool. He got the next batter, Matt Diaz, to fly out to right field and then struck out Willie Harris to end the frame. And with that, Detwiler became the first member of his draft class to play in the big leagues, realizing his childhood dream in the process.

Despite his successful debut, Detwiler didn't appear in another big league game last September; with the Nats far out of contention in the National League East, he had been summoned from advanced Class A Potomac along with outfielder Justin Maxwell primarily to watch and learn. Now ranked as the Nationals' No. 2 prospect and the 51st best in all of baseball by Baseball America, Detwiler is back with the Potomac Nationals this season as he tries to refine his craft under the tutelage of former Pirates left-hander Randy Tomlin. The 4-2 record, respectable 4.17 ERA and impressive 50 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings are encouraging; the 24 walks suggest there's still work to be done. Still, there's speculation that Detwiler will be taking the hill at Nationals Park by the end of the year. I recently had a chance to speak with the promising young lefty:

Q: What was your first reaction when you learned you'd been drafted sixth overall by the Nationals? Did you know they were looking to pick you?

A: You know, I really had no idea who was going to pick me. It's just one of those things where you go in not knowing what's going to happen, and things work out in the end.

Q: It must have been exciting to get called up last summer after two months in pro ball. What do you remember most about your big-league debut?

A: I remember everything about it - just being out there on the mound, and after the inning there was a fan that ran on the field (Laughs).

Q: Were you nervous at all, facing big-league hitters for the first time?

A: Not really - I got focused in right away and didn't really realize what was going on until it was all over.

Q: What did you learn during your time with the big-league club?

A: Really, just how to conduct yourself as a high-profile guy and how to go about your work day in and day out.

Q: Could you talk a bit about the different pitches you throw and how you use them?

A: When I'm more successful I throw my fastball in and out, and then my two-seamer away a lot - you know, really set up the counts like that. And sometimes you have to go throw a curveball low, and I've been working on a change-up a lot lately.

Q: Do you consider yourself a strikeout pitcher, a guy who pitches to contact, or some combination of the two?

A: Some combination of the two. You really want to pitch to contact early in the game so you can last late into the game.

Q: Is there any pitcher, past or present, that you've tried to model your approach after?

A: Not really. I just try to watch everybody and get little pointers here and there.

Q: What are some of the things you're trying to work on this season?

A: Mostly just control of all three of my pitches, and working ahead in the count.

Q: As a National Leaguer, you're going to have to step up to the plate from time to time. How are your hitting skills?

A: (Laughs) Oh, I haven't hit in four years, so we'll see.

Q: Do you get in the cage at all?

A: Yeah, there have been a couple times in big-league spring training where I hit BP, but not too much.

Q: How soon do you think you'll be back in the big leagues for good? Do you have a specific goal in mind?

A: No, no real goal. I'll just try to get better and when the time comes, it'll come.

Jay LeBlanc is an assistant news editor at The Washington Times and Mayor of the National Pastime web community. His Prospect Q&A column runs every Monday and Thursday throughout the season. He can be reached at jleblanc@washingtontimes.com.

Be sure to check out our previous National Pastime Prospect Q&A with Matt Wieters of the Orioles.

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