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MLB Locals: Ex-FGCU pitcher Bleier off to hot start

By ANDREW SODERGREN (Contact)
12:00 a.m., Sunday, July 20, 2008

STORY TOOLS

Sixty-eight pitches in six innings. One unearned run, two hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

Just another efficient outing for Richard Bleier.

The former FGCU standout is off to an outstanding start in his first professional season. Competing for the Spokane Indians, a short-season Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, Bleier is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA in six appearances. Northwest League hitters are batting a paltry .180 in Bleier’s 28 innings, and the tall lefty has walked just four batters and fanned 23.

“Regardless of what level I’m pitching, whether it’s college or the pros, if I hit my spots and make my pitches, I feel I’m going to be successful,” Bleier said. “The big difference is if you make a mistake here and leave the ball up, these hitters are going to make you pay for it.”

Bleier hasn’t made too many mistakes so far. In Tuesday night’s start against Yakima, Bleier retired the first nine hitters before giving up a leadoff bunt single in the fourth. His throwing error on a pickoff attempt advanced the runner to third, where he scored the unearned run on an RBI grounder.

Bleier wasn’t fazed by the mistake, retiring nine of his last 10 hitters in a tidy six-inning gem. All but four of his outs were recorded via groundout or strikeout, and none of the four flyouts was hit hard.

“I try to pitch to weak contact,” Bleier said. “I change speeds and move the ball around and I try to keep the ball off the barrel of the bat.”

Bleier features a fastball in the 88-92 mph range, a change-up and a slider. He can throw all three for strikes at any time in the count, but so far he’s had success by using his fastball and change-up. The former Eagle says he’s a big fan of Chicago White Sox lefty Mark Buehrle and says his style is similar.

“My fastball isn’t overpowering, but I keep the ball down and keep my pitch count down as well,” Bleier said. “Before you know it, it’s the sixth or seventh inning and there’s no runs and just a few hits on the scoreboard.”

Bleier isn’t the only former FGCU pitcher in the Northwest League. Former teammate Casey Coleman is having a strong first season with the Boise Hawks, an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

“I talk to Casey almost every day,” Bleier said. “Being in the same league, we can go over hitters that we’ve faced. I know what Casey’s trying to do and he knows what I’m trying to do, so we try to help each other out any way we can.”

Spokane doesn’t face Boise until August, but Bleier is looking forward to the matchup.

“Maybe there will be a few rainouts somewhere, which would allow us to pitch against each other,” Bleier said. “That would be a great experience for both of us.”

* * *

Richard Bleier (FGCU, 2008)

CURRENT TEAM: Spokane Indians (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: Texas Rangers

SEASON STATS:

W-L ERA G GS SV IP H BB K

3-0 1.93 6 4 0 28.0 18 4 23

Carmen Cali (Naples, 1997)

CURRENT TEAM: Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A)

PARENT CLUB: Minnesota Twins

SEASON STATS:

W-L ERA G GS SV IP H BB K

5-0 3.51 38 0 2 48.2 50 17 43

Casey Coleman (FGCU, 2008)

CURRENT TEAM: Boise Hawks (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: Chicago Cubs

SEASON STATS:

W-L ERA G GS SV IP H BB K

1-1 3.22 6 3 0 22.1 21 5 23

Andy D’Alessio (Barron Collier, 2003)

CURRENT TEAM: San Jose Giants (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: San Francisco Giants

SEASON STATS:

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA

327 43 92 24 1 11 58 1 .281

Jason Kiley (FGCU, 2007)

CURRENT TEAM: Staten Island Yankees (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: New York Yankees

SEASON STATS:

W-L ERA G GS SV IP H BB K

0-1 3.38 8 0 1 12.2 13 1 7

Jason Louwsma (FGCU, 2006)

CURRENT TEAM: Sarasota Reds (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: Cincinnati Reds

SEASON STATS:

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA

306 22 73 7 0 5 35 1 .239

Jason Peacock (FGCU, 2008)

CURRENT TEAM: Gulf Coast Marlins (Rookie)

PARENT CLUB: Florida Marlins

SEASON STATS:

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA

31 2 8 0 0 0 3 0 .258

Luis Pardo (FGCU, 2007)

CURRENT TEAM: Lexington Legends (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: Houston Astros

SEASON STATS:

W-L ERA G GS SV IP H BB K

0-5 3.71 9 5 0 34.0 42 15 18

John Tolisano (Estero, 2007)

CURRENT TEAM: Lansing Lugnuts (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: Toronto Blue Jays

SEASON STATS:

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA

315 47 80 16 7 4 36 5 .254

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