2014 Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 21-40

[Mass Haas]

Cape League Extra: Orleans' Mahoney pitcher on a mission

By Russ Charpentier, capecodonline.com

 

ORLEANS - Orleans Firebirds right-hander Kolton Mahoney was not pursued by college or professional scouts out of high school.

 

He didn't even become a pitcher until his junior year at Northridge High in Layton, Utah, and it took an appearance at a Brigham Young University baseball camp that summer to be noticed and offered an opportunity by the BYU coaching staff.

 

He was the Cougars' closer as a freshman, going 3-2, 2.42 ERA with four saves in 22¤ innings and was named to the Louisville Slugger All-Freshmen Team. That was in 2011. His college career was interrupted by a two-year Mormon mission to northern California, which put baseball on hold.

 

Now 22, Mahoney finished a sophomore season in 2014 that included a no-hitter and being drafted in the 23rd round by Milwaukee. He's followed that with this summer's rise into the upper echelon of Cape League pitchers.

 

"I think he's getting better every start," said Orleans veteran manager Kelly Nicholson.

 

Mahoney is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA and has allowed only 10 hits and struck out 28 in 21 innings for the hottest team on the Cape. The only runs he gave up came on a three-run homer.

 

"He lived with us (coaches) for a week when he first got here," Nicholson said. "He's an adult. I think those two years off, when those kids go on a mission, it really matures them. It opens their eyes that there's more to this world than baseball."

 

But an emerald diamond on a warm summer night is a beautiful site to Mahoney.

 

"I love the Cape. This place is awesome," he said. "The coaches have taught me a lot and done a lot for me. The guys on the team are fun to hang around and play with. I wish I could take this team back to college with me. The talent here is amazing."

 

The bearded Mahoney stands 6 feet, weights a solid 195 pounds, and features a fastball clocked at 90 to 94 mph. He mixes in a slider, curve and change to work his magic.

 

"Everything drives off my fastball," he said. "The command controls everything I do. If I can't throw it for strikes, it makes my other pitches easier to hit."

 

Mahoney also he changes up on his fastball, which makes it tough to sit on.

 

"I try to mix the speed. "If I throw 93 every pitch, they'll hit it. If I throw a 90, then 94, there's a big difference between those. It keeps people off balance."

 

Nicholson has become a fan.

 

"He knows what he's doing out there," said the veteran skipper. "He pitches. He locates his fastball; good breaking pitch. He pays attention to hitters. He knows what they've done previously. I love his tempo. It's fun to watch him compete."

 

It took a lot of work for Mahoney to get to where he is today. While the two-year Mormon mission is not a BYU requirement, it was something Mahoney wanted to do.

 

"It was always a goal of mine," he said. "I saw my older brother go serve his mission. His example was really important to me."

 

Baseball made the decision a little more difficult, he admits.

 

"When the time came, it was tough. I felt I was picking between baseball and serving a mission. I prayed a lot and really thought about it with my family. It was the best decision for me to grow and learn.

 

"Looking back, I would never change anything," he said. "It was the best two years of my life."

 

Mahoney was sent to Santa Rosa, Calif., near the Redwoods forest, an amazing place, he said. Parts of the mission were difficult, however. He is from a close-knit family and missed his three brothers, sister and parents.

 

"We don't have a lot of communication with our family (while on a mission)," he said. "We can email once a week and can only talk over the phone on Mother's Day and Christmas."

 

There was also the glaring absence of baseball and conditioning.

 

"It was pretty tough coming back from the fact that I had to get my body back in shape," Mahoney said. "We didn't lift a lot of weights. I ran a lot in the mornings. Other than that, it was just push-ups and sit-ups. Retraining myself to throw a baseball and take it slow so I didn't blow out my arm was tough."

 

When he returned to school late last summer, he started an eight-week throwing and conditioning program. He stayed off the pitcher's mound for the first three or four weeks, throwing at first from 60 feet, and then moving back about 30 feet a week.

 

"The first time I got to pitch in a game against a hitter was late in the fall," he said.

 

By the spring, however, Mahoney was back in the rotation. His season ended with a 6-6 record, 3.97 ERA in 13 starts. He threw a total of 88¤ innings, nine of which constituted what he called his career highlight.

 

It was very cold on that early Thursday night in March in Thibodaux, Louisiana, when it all came together. Mahoney no-hit Nicholls State University, winning 5-0. The only two base runners were via walks. He threw 102 pitches and struck out 11. When it ended, teammates rushed the mound and piled on.

 

"It was kind of surreal to have that happen after coming back from not throwing for two years, and doing something so special only six others in BYU history have ever done it," he said.

 

Mahoney knew as he worked through that night he was on the road to history.

 

"It was kind of hard not to look at the scoreboard. I didn't want to jinx myself. Nobody would talk to me after the fifth inning. I would come in and everybody would give me a high-five, then go back to the railing."

 

So here he is now, one of the top pitchers in the Cape League, wondering if he'll sign with Milwaukee by the July 18 deadline or head back to BYU. He knows as a 22-year-old the clock is ticking on a possible pro career, but he also knows that with the two years off, he has the arm of a 20-year-old.

 

Whatever the future holds, he's ready.

[Mass Haas]

[HiAndTight]

Sure would be nice to see the Brewers sign him. Dominating the cape league like he has, plus the fact that he's taken 2 years off and his arm hasn't been abused in the slightest, yet he's still got an advanced approach to the game?

 

There is a lot to like there.

[Mass Haas]

Wow.

 

Kolton Mahoney of BYU's baseball team was named this week as the 2014 BFC Whitehouse Outstanding Pitcher of the Cape Cod League.

 

The junior-to-be added to those honors by striking out 13 batters in seven innings as the winning pitcher Wednesday night in the first playoff game for the Orleans Firebirds in a 3-0 victory over the Yarmouth Dennis Red Sox. During the summer season thus far in Massachusetts, Mahoney has posted a 4-2 record with a 1.79 ERA in 45.1 innings with 61 strikeouts.

 

In July, Mahoney was also named to the Cape Cod All-Star team after being drafted in the 23rd round by the Milwaukee Brewers.

 

***

 

A minute and a half into this interview, Mahoney indicates that after careful consideration, it was his decision to return to BYU. There is no indication as just how hard the Brewers may have pushed.

 

Too bad...

 

[TheCrew07]

Cape Cod League Focus: Kolton Mahoney, Kyle Twomey

August 8, 2014 by Aaron Fitt