Jake Peavy is named the 2007 SR  “Player of the Year”
By Joey Warner

     Jake Peavy of the San Diego Padres is a lifelong Mobilian that has become one of the most dominant pitchers in the major leagues.
     His accomplishments on the field and his reputation off the field has earned him the first ever Sports Reports “Player of the Year” award.
     On a much higher level of achievement, Peavy’s outstanding 2007 season is expected to earn him the prestigious National League Cy Young award, which is the prize given to the league’s best pitcher.
      In 2007, Jake led the NL with a 19-6 record; his 2.54 ERA was the best in the league,  and his 240 strikeouts led the NL and is a career best.  He won the pitcher’s “Triple Crown” by leading these categories.       
      He struck out 10 or more in a game 9 times, struck out 16 in a game for the second time in his career, struck out 9 consecutive batters in a 3-inning stretch, was the starting pitcher of the all-star game, and had a no-decision in a one-game playoff with the Colorado Rockies, who lost to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.
      His approach to the game with his enthusiasm and determination is an inspiration to everybody that loves the game of baseball.
      The 26-year old right hander from Semmes, (Ala.) has the poise and dominance of a seasoned veteran. The nasty movement of every wicked pitch he delivers has the best major league hitters gazing with amazement.  
      On April 25, 2007, Peavy was one strike away from tying Tom Seaver's record for most consecutive strikeouts in a game. Seaver's record, set in 1970, stands at 10. In the fifth inning, at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, Peavy had struck out nine in a row and was facing lead off batter Eric Byrnes. With two strikes, Byrnes checked his swing, and upon appeal, it was called a non-swing and a ball.  Peavy smiled in disbelief while manager Bud Black shook his head. The following pitch was called a ball by the home plate umpire, so Byrnes was issued a walk. Peavy ended up with 16 strike outs in seven innings pitched, allowing no runs, but did not get the win as the Diamondbacks scored three runs in the last two innings to win 3-2.
      Jake became the first pitcher in Padres franchise history to strike out 10 or more batters over four consecutive starts. He also became the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1900) to record 10 strikeouts in four straight games without pitching more than seven innings in any of them.
      He was been named NL Pitcher of the Month in August of 2004, May of 2007 and August of  2007.
      In 2006, Peavy dealt with arm problems but was still was second20in the NL with 215 strikeouts, which was second to Aaron Harang’s 216, who logged 32 more innings than Jake.  He led the Padres to the playoffs for the second consecutive season and the talented athlete smacked 2 home runs as a hitter.     
      In 2005, he was selected as a NL all-star. he finished 13-7 with a 2.88 ERA and led the NL with 216 strikeouts.
      In 2004, Peavy posted a 15-6 record with 173 strikeouts and a National League low 2.27 ERA.      
      In 2003, He improved to 12-11 with a  4.11 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 32 starts with the Padres.    
     Jake ended with a  6-7 record in his rookie season in the majors. Six years later, Peavy is 76-51 with a 3.31 ERA and 1,090 strikeouts in 172 starts.
     Peavy  was a local standout pitcher in high school with a 44-1 record at St. Paul’s Episcopal under the tutoring of Manager Andy Robbins and pitching coach Doug Lefferts.
     He originally planned to attend Auburn University on a scholarship before becoming a 15th round draft pick by the Padres after his senior year in high school.
     Peavy is a six-year major league veteran that moved rapidly through the San Diego Farm system that included a tour in his hometown with the Mobile Bay Bears before he received the call to the major leagues midway through the 2002 season.
     While playing in “A” ball, he had become homesick and his wife was pregnant with their first child when he received the call to go to the Mobile Bay Bears.  
     The promotion was a blessing. “Less than a week after my child was born,  I was able to be here in Mobile with my family and sleep in my own bed.”  Peavy said. “The Lord had it on his hand that I was with the San Diego Padres and I was able to come through Mobile at this time in my life.“
     Presently, Jake and his wife Katie, are the proud parents of two sons, Jacob 6, and Wyatt 3.
     Bill Shanahan, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Mobile Bay Bears, says Peavy is the heart of the Padres pitching staff.  “What my staff is most proud of is that when Jake was in Mobile he played and pitched on the field but he also worked in the front office.”  Shanahan said.  “It gave us a chance to see how a player feels and Jake got to see what goes on in the front office.”
      Peavy grew up playing baseball just like any other boy that has a dream to make it to the big leagues.
      “It has been a fun ride but I am no different than any other kid that had dreams and aspirations to become a major league baseball player but it was nothing more than a dream.”=2 0
       He began playing T-ball at Municipal Park in west Mobile and was just another player learning how to play the game.  Jake’s father Danny, coached him on the field, while his mother and grandparents were his biggest fans off the field.
       Jake kept working hard to get better and as he progressed and got older, he started to play on travel teams and began what turned out to be a tremendous high school career. He did not realize there was so much of the game of baseball that was waiting on his talent, mentality and ability.
      “It did not sink in until my senior year in high school when the scouts started talking to me,”  Peavy said.  “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could become one of the select few to make it to the major leagues.”  
       Jake said he had an unbelievable childhood when he received the advice and instruction he needed to stay in line on and off the field.   
       “I grew up in a great home when my mother, father and grandparents spent quality time with me,”  Jake said. “They gave me opportunities to do what I wanted to do and provided what was needed for me and my brother Luke.”
       Peavy tells kids that are growing up that he is living proof that dreams do come true. “You can make dreams come true even when some things are Lord willing,” he said. “I did not do all things right or make all of the right choices and it has not been easy but it can happen.”
       “I have been fortunate and blessed to appear in a couple of all-star games and become the go-to guy who is depended on,” Peavy said. ”I guarantee you that there is not one day that goes by that I take for granted.”        
       “I got the fiery, bulldog passion from my father and grand father because they spent countless hours helping me get better at baseball,”  Peavy said. “Whether it is striking out Barry Bonds or deer hunting, I still have the same passion about it.”
       Jake credits his former high school coaches at St. Paul’s for helping him  develop mentally and physically as a player.  
       “Andy Robbins was the leader and fierce competitor that taught me about the tenacity,” he said.  “Doug Lefferts was the calm within the storm that spent countless hours teaching me the mechanics of pitching.”  
       Jake admits that it is hard to believe that Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, and Don Sutton have become three of his best buddies and are are on speed dial on his cell phone.
       “When I can spend20time with hall of famer Don Sutton and future hall of famers like Maddux and Clemens, it is nice to know they are in my corner,” Jake said.
       “I remember watching Maddux pitch for the Braves as a kid and having him around this year has been like having a second pitching coach and he is one of the best,”  Peavy said. “Clemens and I gravitated with one another while pitching for Team USA in 2006 and he really cares about the game and the players.”
        Jake’s mother, Debbie, says that Jake has been blessed.  “” his mother said.
      Danny Peavy, Jake’s  father, never knew what was in store for his son until Jake’s junior year when he pitched in the 1997 East Coast Classic all-star showcase in Wilmington, (N.C.).
      “After that showcase, the phone started ringing off the hook,” his father said. “He started getting calls from colleges and scouts from pro teams started doing home visits.”
      Coach Robbins at St. Paul’s shared with us the calls he was getting from scouts and it was unbelievable how many scouts started showing up at the games.
      After watching his son perform at such a high level and enjoy all the success at such a young age, Danny is still trying to accept the reality of how well Jake is progressing.
      With the Padres in the chase for the playoffs, a Cy Young award in the working and a 20-win season at stake for his son, a proud father sat in front of the television set in Mobile, gripping the armchair of his recliner, knowing that he is his son’s most dedicated follower.
      “It was a very nerve racking experience to watch the ball games because I feel bad because I know how Jake feels when he does not do well.”  Danny said.
“I am emotionally spent watching Jake pitch because it does not seem real but whatever it is, I am glad it is happening.”
       Danny, a former catcher, coached Jake until he was 13, then he dropped back and coached his youngest son Luke, who prepped at St. Paul’s and played college baseball at Samford University and the University of South Alabama.
      “Myself, Glen Wiley and Mark Lewis were there from the start and it was fun,”  Jake’s father said. “Part of how Jake learned to play the game as a competitor can be attributed to the talented kids he came up playing ball with.”
       According to Danny, Jake's grand father, Blanche, died when Jake was 13.  “I never knew where my daddy got his baseball skills but he preached the mental side of the game to Jake,” Danny said. “Before a Little League game, Blanche Peavy would take his fingers and point them into the temples of his sons’ heads and tell them to focus.”  
       Danny remembers a quote that Jake’s grand father told his grand son before his accidental death in 1994.
     “When you get at higher levels, the talent gets closer.” 

Periscope on Peavy

Jake Peavy is Mobile’s most popular baseball star.   All baseball fans in Mobile and millions around the world, love the style of play that Jake has defined for himself.   He is the kind of player that is keeping the game interesting.

     Jake compiled a pitching record of 44-1 for coach Andy Robbins at St. Paul’s Episcopal in Mobile before turning down an opportunity to pitch at Auburn University.  In 1999, he was a 15th round draft choice by the San Diego Padres.   His minor league trail brought him back to Mobile, where he pitched in front of his home town for the AA Southern League Bay Bears in 2001 and 2002.   

     After all of the off season trade rumors, Peavy is happy to be a Padre and make his home in San Diego, which he insists is where he wants to be.  He had two shaky performances during his second tour for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.  In 2006 and 2009, Peavy leads all 30 American pitchers with 11 strikeouts. Roger Clemens is second with 10 and Roy Oswalt has 7 while wearing uniform # 44. Peavy, who wears #44 for the Padres, wore #22 for Team USA, which is the number he wore for St. Paul’s, which was retired by the Saints in 2008.   Hall of Famer Mobilians Hank Aaron and Willie McCovey both wore #44.

   

Peavy’s Progress

Despite a 3-0 record and giving up 0 runs in 14 innings pitched and 10 strikeouts in Spring Training, Jake was the victim of a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2009 season opener.  He gave up 3 earned runs with 8 strikeouts and once again, did not have offensive support.

    Jake bounced back to win his second game when he lasted 8 1/3 innings and struck out 10 in a win over San Francisco.  The crafty right hander went five innings against the Mets for second win. Peavy fell to 2-2 and his ERA jumped to 5.13 when he gave up 6 runs in a loss to the Giants on April 21.

    In his next start, JP lasted just 5 innings in a loss to the Pirates with 6 K’s.  With a 2-3 record, Peavy had a career record of 13-2 against the Dodgers, including the loss this season. He recorded a ‘no decision’ when he gave up no runs, 2 hits and struck out 8 in 8 innings and lowered his ERA to 4.58.

     

 

    

Peavy Sidelined

     Jake Peavy, the 2007 Cy Young Award winner and ace of the San Diego Padres pitching staff, will be sidelined until after the All-Star break after an MRI showed he has a strain of the posterior tibialis tendon in his right ankle.

     Peavy, who is 6-6 with a 3.97 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 13 starts, has a cast around his right ankle after it was discovered that the ankle tendinitis that has troubled him for three weeks before realizing it was something more serious.  He injured the ankle making an abrupt stop after rounding third base in a game against the Cubs on May 22 and will wear the cast for a month.

     Even if the cast is removed in a month, Peavy would have to demonstrate that the tendon is strong enough for him to resume pitching. If you add in a Minor League rehabilitation assignment, it could be the end of July before Peavy pitches again with the Padres.

    Peavy was 4-1 since suffering the injury on May 22, with his lone loss coming June 2 when he allowed four runs in the first inning. That outing was cut short by an upper respiratory infection, not because of the ankle injury.

 

Peavy’s Performance

After seven major league seasons, Peavy started 2009 with an 86-62 record and a 3.25 ERA.  He had 1,256 strikeouts in 1,261 innings pitched, which is 1 per inning or 9 per game.   Jake won the National League Cy Young Award and was the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year in 2007 as he won the Pitchers’ Triple Crown with 19 wins, 240 K’s and a 2.54 ERA.   The two-time all-star has just 6 complete games and 3 shutouts but is among the best for seven solid innings.

     Peavy, who has bulked up with muscle, is an outstanding athlete and a bulldog of a competitor at the young age of 28.  As a hitter, he is 71-for-382 (.186) with 14 doubles, 2 homers and 26 RBIs.  In the last two seasons, he is hitting .249 (30-122).