July 29, 2011
Norton is pitching behind enemy lines
by David Laurila/
Now pitching in Double A, Tim Norton was born in Milford, Mass., raised in Burrillville, R.I., and starred at UConn. (photo: Dave Schofield)
Tim Norton may be pitching in the Yankees’ system, but the 28-year-old right-hander is a New Englander through and through.
Despite a career that has been riddled by injuries, he also remains a big-league prospect. Over his first 22 games this season, for Double-A Trenton, Norton had eye-popping numbers out of the bullpen: a 1.55 ERA, a 0.690 WHIP and 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
New England Baseball Journal: What is your baseball background?
Tim Norton: “I started playing when I was 14, because all of my good friends were playing. That was in Burrillville, Rhode Island. I was actually born in Milford, Mass., but only lived there until I was about 1 year old. I grew up in Pascoag, which is in Burrillville.
“I played one year in middle school, throughout high school, and then in prep school where I went for a post-graduate year at Suffield Academy in Connecticut. From there, I spent four years at UConn. As a side note, they’re doing pretty damn good right now and I’m proud of (coach) Jim Penders and those guys at UConn.
“I got picked up by the Yankees in 2006, and have been dealing with a lot of injuries ever since. Hopefully, I’ve turned that page and have gone on to a different chapter in my career.”
NEBJ: Being from New England, did you get a hard time about going to the Yankees?
Norton: “My friends were obviously happy for me, but yes, they gave me a hard time. My mom and my brothers were big Red Sox fans. My brothers both still root for those Sox, but my mom threw everything out; she junked it. You know how moms are. It’s as much of a bandwagon as you can get; when I went to the Yankees, she jumped right on board.”
NEBJ: You’ve pitched at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket.
Norton: “Yes. My senior year in high school, in 2001, we played in the state championship game there, against West Warwick. We lost, and it was the worst time for me to pitch my worst game of the year. I’ll never forget that.”
NEBJ: When did scouts start paying attention to you?
Norton: “I don’t think I ever got scouted in high school. I never saw a radar gun or a scout, at least not that I know of. There were some guys I played against in prep school who were pretty good, and they had some scouts coming around, but there was never anyone watching me until I got to college.
“I had a pretty decent arm my freshman year at UConn, but I didn’t know how to pitch, really. I had Andy Baylock, who was the head coach there my freshman year, and he was great for me, but mostly it was just time. I needed some innings because I hadn’t pitched a lot. I played two summers in the Valley League, in Virginia, and got some innings under my belt.
“My junior year, I started turning it on a little bit. I had a pitching coach, coach (David) Turgeon, who is now with the Pirates. Then I went to the Cape Cod League and really started to find the strike zone and figure out how to pitch a little bit. I came back to UConn and had a pretty good senior year, but the turning point was pitching for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape League in 2005.”
NEBJ: You were drafted in 2006. How was your acclimation to pro ball?
Norton: “It was different, that’s for sure. I was ready to go, I was excited about it, but you don’t really know what you’re getting into until you actually go on the trips. You get on the bus and you’re on the road for a week, and when you get back home, you’re living in random apartments. The competition is a lot better as well. Pro ball is just all around different and a little harder.
“My first year went OK, although I was hurting throughout that whole season. My shoulder was giving me a lot of issues, which could have been from a combination of things. As much as anything, it was probably because my mechanics were dog crap for so long and that finally caught up with me.”
NEBJ: Was your college workload a contributing factor?
Norton: “Who really knows? A lot of the Friday night starters threw deep into games and I wasn’t any different, but I would never say it was too much of a workload. They were really good to me at UConn.”
NEBJ: What was your most notable game at UConn?
Norton: “The most notable game I pitched in was in 2006, against Notre Dame, because (Jeff) Samardzija was coming into town. He was that football-baseball guy (now pitching for the Chicago Cubs), and we packed that house pretty good. There were more people there at the field than I can ever remembering seeing.”
NEBJ: How much time have you missed because of injuries to your shoulder?
Norton: “I missed all but a month of 2007, all of 2008, and half of 2009. Last year, in early July, I tore my lat. Yep, that’s about it. A large chunk of my career, since turning pro, has been spent on the disabled list.”
NEBJ: How have the injuries impacted your stuff?
Norton: “I don’t have a splitter anymore. I used to throw one in college and early in pro ball, but I stopped because I didn’t have the arm strength for a while. I don’t know if it caused any of the pressure on my shoulder or not, but right now, it’s still shut down. My fastball is more consistent than it’s ever been, though. It’s better and so is my slider. I’m a better pitcher.
“There were a lot of times I thought of hanging it up, but I’ve stuck it out. I’ve paid the price and put the work in, and right now I’m reaping the benefits. I’m feeling pretty good, and the big leagues are in sight. I really believe that.”
This article originally appeared in the July 2011 issue of New England Baseball Journal.
David Laurila can be reached at feedback@baseballjournal.com
