Every pitcher in the Rockies’ farm system should pay attention to what Justin Hampson credits for his return to prospect status in the organization this season while pitching for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
Hampson’s comeback season was dramatic. He went from being barely on the Sky Sox roster at the beginning of the season to being among the September call-ups by the Rockies for possible use in big-league games as the year winds down.
When asked how he turned around a dismal 2005 season in which he led the Pacific Coast League in losses with 13, Hampson zeroed in on one topic.
“For me, the biggest thing was that the walks were down,” Hampson said. “When I look at my numbers from this season, that’s what I see first. Putting extra guys on base just leads to bad things.”
While on the way to more than a dozen losses last year, Hampson issued 71 walks. This year the free passes were down to 39.
“I was more aggressive this year,” Hampson said. “Last year, I pitched away from contact. I was just more aggressive in the strike zone.”
The results were striking in more ways than just the walks. In 2005, Hampson, a left-hander, allowed 161 hits in 144 innings. This year it was 121 hits in 121 2/3 innings. He gave up eight fewer home runs, improved his ERA from 5.99 to 3.33, his strikeouts from 93 to 95 in 22 1/3 fewer innings and his record went from 5-13 to 8-4.
He was a valuable member of manager Tom Runnells’ pitching staff because he both started and came out of the bullpen.
Hampson didn’t achieve success by himself. He credits Bob McClure, the pitching coach in Colorado Springs last year, with work on his mechanics and keeping his attitude upbeat. Chuck Kniffin was the teacher in the Sky Sox dugout this year and helped refine his pitching.
“They both brought different things to the table that were helpful,” Hampson said of his coaches. “I think it’s that way with pitching coaches. You pick up a couple of things from each one and package it together.”
Hampson sees himself as a starter or a reliever. The important thing is being in the action. For a time at the beginning of the season, he wasn’t sure if he was going to be around.
“I didn’t know what to think,” Hampson said. “I wanted to show that I had improved, but I didn’t know if I’d get the chance.”
His first assignment was joining the rotation after the season had started. Then he went back and forth between starting and relieving. But he continued to move in the right direction.
“Being in the big leagues is unbelievable for me,” Hampson said. “This is a great finish of the season. To get up here is a dream come true for me. I gained more confidence as the year went along. Hopefully, I’ll do even better next season.”
According to official minor-league statistics, a lot of pitchers in the Rockies’ farm system could do well by cutting walks. The combined walks for the season for pitchers in Colorado Springs, Tulsa, Modesto, Asheville, Tri-City and Casper ranked fifth among the 30 organizations. Modesto led the way with 530 free passes. Samuel Deduno led Modesto and the organization with 92 walks.The total for the organization was 2,494 walks in 6,246 innings.
But the organization had highlights on the basepaths. The six farm teams compiled 733 stolen bases, third among the 30 organizations. Asheville led the way with 266, with Eric Young Jr. getting 87.
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
