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06/01/2006 7:10 PM ET
Worrell shows promise
Right-hander has the right mentality for closer's role
By Conor Nicholl / MLB.com

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- One of Mark Worrell's favorite closers is the Padres' longtime stopper Trevor Hoffman. For years, Hoffman, the owner of more than 400 career saves, has benefited from a varied arsenal that includes a nasty changeup.
"I like his offspeed pitches and I like the way that he gets guys out," Worrell said.

Worrell, the Springfield Cardinals' closer, mixes a deceiving high-70s changeup with a slider/slurve and a two-seam fastball that rides in the low 90s. He has yet to throw a Major League pitch, but he has enjoyed Hoffman-like success at the Double-A level, leading the Texas League with 13 saves.

Worrell has become nearly automatic, prompting the loudspeaker at Hammons Field to play "Closing Time" when Worrell comes in to close a game.

Unlike Hoffman, who loves hearing AC/DC's "Hell's Bells" when he runs in from the bullpen, Worrell wishes the loudspeaker wouldn't play Semisonic's 1997 hit.

"I don't even like that song," he said Saturday afternoon outside the Cardinals' indoor exercise facility. "I didn't even pick it. I am really superstitious and I really don't want to pick one yet."

And that isn't the only difference between him and San Diego's stopper. Worrell has one of the game's most unorthodox motions. After a series of knee bobs and movements, Worrell seemingly launches himself towards the plate.

"I have always thrown pretty much like that," he said. "I've never had any arm problems with it so I don't plan on changing it."

The 6-foot-1 right-hander stands straight up on the mound and comes set in the stretch position on the rubber's extreme third-base side. While most pitchers will keep their feet spread apart when they come set, Worrell brings his left foot directly next to his right.

"When I bring them back more, I can get all of my weight behind [the ball]," he said. "I want to be throwing with everything I have. I don't want to be throwing with 80 percent of my weight."

Worrell starts his hands behind his head, looking out towards center field. Then, while bobbing his knees, he slowly lowers his hands to his right shoulder. He stops for a split-second before bobbing his knees one more time and lowering his hands slightly to about chest level, a deceptive motion for any hitter.

"It's definitely tough to face as a right-handed hitter," Frisco RoughRiders second baseman Adam Morrisey said. "It looks as if the ball is coming right out of his ear and it's really tough to pick up his release point."

To complicate matters even further, Worrell's step toward the plate isn't commonplace. Most hurlers step straight towards home.

Worrell, though, steps way out toward the first-base line before uncorking the pitch, a step he said feels natural. Many of his pitches -- especially the slider/slurve thrown anywhere from 80-85-mph -- are also delivered from the sidearm slot.

"It's not the typical delivery that you teach, but the guy can pitch," said Mark Riggins, the Cardinals Minor League pitching coordinator.

Similar to Hoffman, Worrell baffles hitters, holding the Texas League to a miniscule .180 average. He's struck out 31 hitters against just 12 walks in 24 2/3 innings and 23 appearances.

"There is a lot of difference between the speed of his fastball and the speed of his slider," Morrissey said. "The slider is like floater because he has a good fastball and it is very hard to stay back on and pick up his release point."

Overall, the right-hander is 1-3 with a 4.38 ERA, but take out a recent outing where he allowed five runs in 1/3 inning against Arkansas, and his ERA drops well below 3.00.

Worrell molded his stuff through years as a starter in high school and in college at Florida International University.

After picking him in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, the Cardinals instantly transformed him into a closer -- and didn't mess with his motion.

"Scouts had told us about his delivery, but we just said hands-off and let him go," Riggins said.

From Day One, Worrell (no relation to former Cardinals closer Todd Worrell) has enjoyed success in the red and white. He saved 12 games at rookie-level Johnson City and Class A Peoria in 2004, before constructing a remarkable 2005 campaign at Class A Palm Beach.

Worrell compiled a 2.25 ERA and saved a franchise-record 35 games, helping Palm Beach win the league title.

He entered 2006 with high expectations. Baseball America called him the Cards' 21st best prospect and third best reliever behind Nick Webber and Juan Mateo -- who has since been returned to the Cubs.

And Worrell hasn't disappointed. He's converted all but three of his save chances. And, like all great closers, he's shown the ability to have short-term memory and bounce back from a poor outing.

"I start taking it day by day and looking at the whole big picture," he said. "That's something I need to do in any job, especially sports."

On May 15, he lost a game against Wichita, allowing three runs and walking four. Worrell bounced back and saved a game two days later. Then, on May 19, against Arkansas, he had another small implosion, as the Travelers touched him for those five runs.

Since then, he's been outstanding, saving three straight games and throwing two shutout innings in Springfield's 9-6 extra innings Sunday afternoon. That stretch includes a five-out, four-K performance versus Frisco on Friday night, one of his best outings of the season.

"He's got very good mental toughness," Cardinals manager Chris Maloney said.

Outings like Friday's -- and maintaining consistency -- form the backbone for a bright future. Baseball America calls Worrell "a lock to end up as a reliever in a Major League bullpen."

And that suits Worrell just fine.

"I like being the go-to guy in the bullpen," he said. "I've had success in that role."

Just like Hoffman.