Ice is right for M's No. 1 draft pick Phillippe Aumont
The pop of his 90 mph missiles exploding in catchers' mitts already has No. 1 draft pick Phillippe Aumont drawing rave reviews here.But far away from Arizona sunshine and cactus, in a hometown steeped in ice and snow, the Quebec-born pitcher honed the leg strength to drive off a mound with such power.
Much of the talk centers around the 19-year-old's mature physique, specifically the trunk-like thighs that manager John McLaren has likened to those of a speedskater.
Turns out McLaren was dead-on.
Aumont was playing hockey this winter with a group of friends in Ottawa, across the Ottawa River from his hometown of Gatineau, Quebec, when he spotted an outdoor speedskating oval. An idea popped into Aumont's head and the next thing he knew, he was out doing daily sets of sprints on his skates.
"I don't really like to run all that much, so this was something I thought I could do to stay in shape," said Aumont, a 6-foot-7 scout's dream touted as possibly the team's top pitching prospect despite having yet to appear in a professional game. "It is hard, especially for me. It was my first time. I like skating, but you've got to bring your game up to a higher level with this. It's a lot of effort."
Eric Heiden and Dan Jansen would be proud. Or, in this case, Cindy Klassen and Jeremy Wotherspoon would be proud.*
What are the plans for Aumont?
This won't be a repeat of 2007, when No. 1 pick Brandon Morrow leapt almost straight from college to the major leagues. The team hopes Aumont's national-team experience was the equivalent — or better — of playing a full season of rookie ball.
Aumont says he can throw as hard as 98, but usually keeps his pitches between 93 and 95. His 90 mph tosses this week came at roughly three-quarters strength.
That Canadian heat may be at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.
*-I knew Cindy Klassen from an episode of Corner Gas. I had to look up Jeremy Wotherspoon.
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