Lincoln's Jarvis pins his hopes on draft
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By KEN HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star
Maybe Jim Haller’s glasses protected Jason Jarvis from the fire that flashes from the eyes of the Lincoln Saltdogs pitching coach.
At 6-foot-6 and the far side of 230 pounds, Haller can be intimidating.
A former first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1970, Haller hopes he can say farewell to Jarvis soon.
Haller’s job was to see what Jarvis had, what he could learn and what he could handle.
“I gave him everything and it was one-sided, loud and confrontational, every day for three weeks and he handled it like a man who wanted to make a point,” Haller said of Jarvis, who joined the Saltdogs this spring.
The 20-year-old right-handed reliever enjoys Lincoln. He’s been just fine for the Saltdogs, striking out six and allowing just 10 hits in 10 appearances.
If predictions match reality, it won’t be very long before Jarvis is with a major-league organization after the first-year player draft today and Friday.
“Top three rounds is serious money,” Haller said. “I was a first-round pick (Dodgers) and I can say this kid has that kind of talent to be in the bigs in three to four years.”
Jarvis has done plenty to enhance his image for baseball scouts since he left Arizona State in March. He joined the Saltdogs in the independent American Association in April with the idea of learning some of the key aspects of pro baseball.
He’s matured as a person and as a pitcher. He’s adopted the nuances of throwing a devastating change-up that often makes opposing batters stumble awkwardly across the plate.
“Hitters look at his fastball and trust it at 94-95 (mph),” said Haller. “Then he throws an 83 mph change-up and it’s an unfair advantage.
“A great change-up is one that is 10 to 12 mph slower than the fastball. He’s throwing 15 to 16 mph difference with good arm speed and not giving it away. It’s just mean.”
Jarvis was drafted in the 25th round of the major-league draft out of high school in Scottsdale, Ariz. He eventually enrolled at Arizona State and set a freshman record with 11 saves in 2007. But in March this year, Jarvis faced charges of academic dishonesty that eventually were proven incorrect in March.
He was still ineligible academically, and instead of trying to regain his playing status at Arizona State, he petitioned Major League Baseball to enter this year’s first-year players draft.
“I don’t know what will happen now,” Jarvis said. “I’ve learned to like Lincoln and the guys on this team. The coaches here are great.
“I came here to show I was ready for pro baseball and this has been very good for me,” he said.
The changes in Jarvis have been as impressive off the mound as on the mound, Haller said.
“All I heard about before he got here was a lack of maturity, but I have not seen that as a problem since he’s been here,” Haller said. “Sure, he’s 20 and there are some things to constantly work on. But I don’t see anything that supports those stories about his maturity issues.”
Physically, the most positive change was learning to throw the change-up, by staying tall, so he gets more up-to-down movement on the pitch.
Haller said, “Once Jason learns to trust the pitch the way he can trust his fastball it will be even more effective than it is now.”
Jarvis has also shown a combative ability on the mound as he progressed through the first 24 games with Lincoln.
“He gets better with the better hitters,” Haller said. “He gets better with guys on base, too. He doesn’t give into batters. Best of all, he has the short-term memory that it takes to be a stopper or a set-up man. Give up a hit, a home run, and forget about it quickly and go to the next batter.”
Jarvis said he appreciates the opportunity given him by the Saltdogs.
“I’ve also learned I can be a little more aggressive on the mound because you can saw off a bat or two when they are made out of wood,” he said. “But college hitters, because of the metal bat, aren’t as selective as these guys are either.”
Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or khambleton@journalstar.com.
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