Pain relief key for reliever

Even though the pain of Scott Beerer’s injury has long since subsided, the effects are still with him.

The former Newport Harbor High and Orange Coast College standout will not pitch the next week or two for the Modesto Nuts, the Colorado Rockies’ High Class A affiliate. There is not a new injury, just rest for an old one.

A torn labrum shortly into his rookie-ball season stole a year from his baseball life.

“It was tough,” said Beerer, who was drafted 47th overall in 2003 out of Texas A&M.; “You go through your ups and downs. I got a little depressed. But you look at the light at the end of the tunnel. It was a tough fight. It feels like a different shoulder. But sometimes you have to fail to succeed. If it’s your dream, it’s something you’ll push through.”

So he adapted. Mentally, he took on the fact he was forced to take a step back before being given an opportunity to move forward, and persevered. Physically he has changed from a power pitcher to one focused on precision.

“I had to learn to be a different pitcher,” Beerer said.

In a way, the change has helped. Minor league baseball is full of hitters with pickier pitch selection than the ones in college, Beerer said. Hitting spots is a priority. With slightly reduced velocity and a change in bats from aluminum to wood, hitters’ power has waned.

Beerer is in the midst of a solid season, leading the team with 11 saves to go with 23 strikeouts and a 3.86 ERA in 23 1/3 innings.

Beerer started his professional career in Casper, Wyo. in the Pioneer League, an advanced rookie league. He made his only three professional starts, going 0-2.

Beerer made a stop in Washington to play in the Class A short-season Northwest League pitching 5 1/3 innings before feeling a pain in his shoulder which would require surgery a month later.

In 2005, Beerer made his comeback in North Carolina, pitching in the Class A South Atlantic League. He started off going 2-2 with 17 saves and a 2.97 ERA, but ended his stint 2-3, with a 3.69 ERA and 23 saves before being called up to Modesto in the California League.

Beerer finished the season pitching 3 2/3 innings for the Nuts.

This year, Beerer should return in time to help the Nuts make a push for the playoffs.

“We’re going to pick it up and finish strong,” Beerer said. “I’m all right [with the time off]. It has been a weird year for me; a mentally tough year.”

Beerer never looks at his statistics, but he knows his control (16 walks) stands between him and a move to the next level. But without looking at his statistics, he also knows he has yet to allow a home run.

“It has been a combination of mind and body,” said Beerer, a 6-foot-1 right-hander. “I just try to stay focused and throw strikes consistently. I know the Rockies have confidence in my ability.”

The life of a minor league baseball player also has it’s ups and downs. The long hours everyday and the travel are tough, but the game and the camaraderie make the sacrifice easy.

“Not seeing my family and friends is tough,” Beerer said although he added being in California is an advantage in that area. “There’s a lot of good things. The people you meet. The lifestyle takes getting used to. Playing baseball with friends everyday is great.”

Another bonus of minor league baseball is that he stays with a host family and eats a home-cooked meal more often than he did in college.

“It’s a little smaller city up here and the people are nice,” he said. “I miss the ocean though.”

As a closer, Beerer must have the right mind-set each time he takes the mound.

“I try not to think about saving the game,” Beerer said. “I just look at it like any other inning. If runners get on, I just try to eliminate them and focus on the batter.”

The pressure of being a second-round pick does not bother Beerer, nor does the prospect of pitching at hitter-friendly Coors Field.

“I’m not worried,” Beerer said. “A lot of parks are hitters’ parks in minor league baseball.”

So he will use his cut fastball and changeup to try to get to the major leagues. He is still the same player who was named a consensus All-American at Texas A&M;, the same player who led Orange Coast to the California Super Regionals.

And yet, he is different.