Bullpen good for Harmon
Improving stats show relief role suits ex-starter
A little history lesson starts it off.
When Rob Harmon was closing games as a sophomore for the pitching-rich Covington Catholic baseball team, he viewed it as a stepping stone to the next level - starting games for the Colonels."That was always a dream, starting," said Harmon, who earned a high school reputation as a versatile pitcher, capable of performing well in many roles. "The thing I didn't realize at the time was all the different ways I was used would actually be helpful later on."
Harmon eventually started and earned all-state honors and the Northern Kentucky Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year award following his junior and senior seasons. He was part of CovCath's best baseball team, the 40-3 Colonels of 2002 who won their first state championship under coach Bill Krumpelbeck and finished No. 18 in USA Today's national baseball poll.
Then, a slight mistake by the writer:
Last year, he pitched at every minor-league level, beginning at Single-A Wisconsin before moving to Double-A Everett, where he started 14 times and went 3-1 with a 3.07 ERA in five August starts. The hot stretch earned him a promotion to Triple-A Tacoma where he made a Sept. 2 start last season.
Did you hear that, AquaSox fans? You're Double-A!
Harmon started the 2008 season in the rotation, but struggled. The transition to the pen has worked out well.
His ERA in June is 1.69 in four appearances, and he has two saves. As pitching coaches work on getting Harmon to take advantage of his height by training him to pitch more downhill, the former Colonel nearly has cut in half his ERA, which was 8.74 before this week's Midwest League all-star break.
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