With a signing bonus of several million dollars at stake, hard-throwing left-hander Tyler Matzek of Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley is going to face lots of pressure situations over the next three months.
He already has been tested off the diamond, whether dealing with the constant scrutiny and questions from major league scouts or the tumultuous highs and lows when his father was hospitalized with throat cancer.
Keeping him focused and refreshed are his twice-a-week five-mile runs around a canyon near his home, where he and his dog, Denali, a 110-pound female American bulldog, wander through the wilderness with music from Lil Wayne blaring from Matzek's headphones
"It's peaceful," he said.
It's an escape for Matzek, who uses the time to think about anything and everything.
He's a 6-foot-3, 215-pound pitcher with a 94-mph fastball, and that makes him one of the top pro prospects in the nation.
"God has blessed him with a great arm and good body," Coach Bob Zamora said.
The word got out about Matzek's talent in January 2008 when he happened to be pitching against last season's No. 1 pitching prospect, Gerrit Cole of Orange Lutheran, in a winter league game.
"All the scouts saw Matzek strike out the side with awesome stuff," Zamora said. "He was hitting 91, 92 mph from the left side. He opened everyone's eyes."
Now, scouts tell Zamora, "He's going in the first round" of the June draft.
But all that depends on Matzek's living up to the expectations he established last summer and fall, when lots of traveling and hard work sent his stock soaring. He gained 20 pounds, added velocity and kept throwing strikes.
He went to Minnesota, North Carolina, Arizona and Florida for tournaments and showcases. He pitched on weekends for a scout team. It has put him in position to be the pitcher to watch in Southern California this spring, and if that means additional pressure, he says bring it on.
"I just like the pressure situations," he said. "If there's a pressure situation and I see someone in it, I want to be the one, and I want to succeed. That's how I am."
A year ago, he got sick, lost 15 pounds and had an up-and-down junior season, but it hardly compared to his sophomore year because the man who has coached him since T-ball, his father, Jeff, was battling cancer.
