Trevor May looking more like a pitcher and not just a prospect

A year ago, when Trevor May got off to a miserable start at single-A Clearwater, he landed back in Lakewood, the minor-league level he thought he had graduated from in 2009.

To his credit, the Phillies' 2008 fourth-round pick from Kelso High School in the state of Washington finished strong with the BlueClaws and returned to Clearwater for the start of this season.

Again, however, April was a miserable month for him.

The difference this year was that the 6-foot-5, 215-pound righthander did not need to take a step back in order to make a giant leap forward. By midseason, May had recovered enough to earn a spot in the Florida State League All-Star Game.

Now, with Jarred Cosart gone to the Houston organization in the trade that brought Hunter Pence to the Phillies, it could be argued that May is the top pitching prospect in the organization.

"He is definitely one of them," Phillies assistant general manager Chuck LaMar said.

Time will tell how much that means, but LaMar was encouraged with how May recovered from his difficult first month. Since going 1-2 with a 5.57 ERA in four April starts, May is 9-6 with a 3.11 ERA. His most impressive numbers are hits allowed (111 in 1431/3 innings) and strikeouts (197).

"Over the last couple of years, he has shown outstanding physical ability," LaMar said. "He is a good worker and respects the game. But his first couple years of pro ball, he did not handle the adversity the way you have to. This year, he handled it. He could have fallen into those old habits and he didn't."

May, who will turn 22 next month, believes he matured mentally and physically in his fourth season of professional baseball.

"I believe this year as opposed to last year I made a lot of improvement mechanical-wise in being able to repeat things and also staying on a solid routine," May said. "You have to find a work ethic that works for you. I also felt like this year I was able to make strides in dealing with adversity.

"I was really able to settle down when I got in trouble. I think you can see that by the fact that I have pitched more innings in 25 starts this year than I did in 27 last year."

As much as he hated being demoted to Lakewood a year ago, May learned a lot from his second stint near the Jersey Shore.

"It was kind of a wake-up call," May said. "I learned that I needed to throw more strikes and I needed to stay in the bottom half of the strike zone. You can get by with some things in the lower levels that you can't get by with the higher you go."

May said he has also learned to erase negative thoughts by focusing on every pitch.

"In all honesty, I used to think about walks," he said. "It used to always be in the back of my head. I'm a very analytical person and I was always worried about walks. Now, I'm more single-minded. My approach has become one pitch at a time."

May has walked 61 batters this season as opposed to 81 in eight fewer innings a year ago.

"I've learned to pitch to situations and to pitch to counts," May said. "Before, I'd be thinking, this guy thinks I'm going to throw a ball. That makes pitching way too difficult."

May said the fact that he will be the Phillies' only minor-league pitcher with 200 strikeouts this season is a nice accomplishment but not one he really wants to focus on.

"What ultimately determines whether a pitcher is good or not is how many runs he allows," May said.

The next stop for May will be double-A Reading next year, and he will likely be joined by current Clearwater teammates Julio Rodriguez (16-7, 2.84 ERA) and Jonathan Pettibone (9-10, 3.00).

"The jump to double A is a really big step," LaMar said. "That's where you start to see guys go from being prospects to potential players."

It's a jump May cannot wait to make.

"Believe it or not, I just can't wait to get out of this [Florida] heat," May said. "I know it was hot up there this summer, but here it's constant from April 7 to Sept. 4."