Boland: Brackman can stand tall again as a pitcher

It wasn't to the point that Andrew Brackman thought about quitting, but he did wonder at times if he made the right choice.

"I did think maybe I did make the wrong decision," he said Thursday from Trenton.

The 6-10 righthander, a two-sport athlete (basketball and baseball) at North Carolina State and the Yankees' first-round pick (30th overall) in 2007, received a promotion to the Yankees' Double-A club from Class A Tampa on June 25.

It was a significant step for Brackman, 24, whose brutal first season of professional ball in 2009 with low-Class A Charleston had some wondering if he already was a bust.

Brackman, who had Tommy John surgery in August 2007 and missed 2008 while recovering, went 2-12 with a 5.91 ERA in 19 starts last season. Brackman, with a fastball that Baseball America has ranked among the best in the organization, allowed 106 hits in 1062/3 innings. Even more disconcerting, he led the South Atlantic League in walks (76) and wild pitches (26).

"Terrible," he said. But after thinking for a few moments, he found at least one positive.

"I didn't get hurt," he said, not an insignificant feat coming off Tommy John surgery. "I made it through a full season healthy and made it through the number of innings the Yankees wanted me to throw, just not with any success. But it made me realize I could make it through a full baseball season. It showed my arm, my elbow and my shoulder could hold up for a whole season."

He said his delivery feels "completely different" from the way it felt at this time last year, and general manager Brian Cashman said that's not all.

"His stuff is better, his velocity is better, his delivery is better," Cashman said yesterday. "It's all coming together. He has a very high upside."

Cashman attended Brackman's second Double-A start Wednesday afternoon in New Britain, Conn. Brackman allowed one hit in the first four innings before a leadoff walk led to three runs in what became a 3-1 Trenton loss. Brackman allowed two earned runs in five innings in his first start, June 25 against New Hampshire.

Tendinitis in one of the fingers of his throwing hand set back Brackman early this season. He was 0-2 with a 10.50 ERA after three starts, but after the finger healed, he went 5-1 with a 2.84 ERA in eight starts with Tampa before his promotion.

Most significant, Brackman struck out 56 and walked nine in 60 innings with Tampa. It was the product, he said, of much better mechanics.

"Last year I was thinking more about velocity and was mainly worried about how my arm felt," he said. "This year I can focus on mechanics and delivery, which is pretty much everything if you're a 6-10 pitcher. If you don't have the right mechanics and you're this tall, you're not going to be able to throw strikes."

When 6-10 Randy Johnson officially retired in January, he said "this isn't a tall man's sport," a sentiment to which Brackman can relate. Being a two-sport standout through high school and college, he played more basketball in the summer than baseball, meaning he had less time to work on mechanics.

"The fact he wasn't able to play a full baseball season [year round] definitely hindered his baseball development, no doubt about it," Cashman said.

Cashman calls Brackman "a big-time player," and although the pitcher isn't making that kind of proclamation, he said his confidence level is on another plateau compared with 2009.

"I got on myself too much and I wasn't having fun at the baseball field," Brackman said. "Nobody's having fun when they're losing or not being successful, but I felt like I wasn't even competing against hitters, I was competing against myself. This year I've allowed myself to throw strikes, and I'm competing. It's much different."