Baseball Is More Than Foster's Side Project

Zachary Foster has made it difficult not to be noticed. Whether while playing for a tiny college team or moving up the ranks in baseball's minor leagues, Foster works for every bit of his success.

He was the first Pittsburgh-Bradford player and the first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference athlete to be drafted when the Pirates called his name in the 49th round.

Foster has distinguished himself from other pitchers since arriving in Bradenton by changing his delivery to throw the ball from the side at more of a three-quarter of an angle.

“About a week before I was called up, I tried throwing like this, and it felt good,” Foster said. “The ball was coming out. From up here, it was flat. I moved down to this angle and went all in with it to where it has developed as the year has progressed.”

Against St. Lucie last week, the victory in game two went to Zach Foster after the sidewinder tossed three shutout after relieving Donnie Veal.

Foster helped the Marauders take a three-game lead over second-place Palm Beach in the race for the FSL West Division’s second-half title by throwing a perfect inning of relief in Thursday night’s 4-1 win. In 25 relief appearances for the Marauders, he has limited opponents to a batting average of .189.

While he dreamed of playing pro ball as a kid growing up in Bradford, Pa., where he followed the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was offered an opportunity to pursue a degree in sport and recreation management at the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford and play at the NCAA Division III level in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.

Although major league scouts don't converge on Division III games, Foster figured he could generate some interest from scouts as he was wrapping up his studies and senior season. Pittsburgh-Bradford head coach Bret Butler helped ensure that no organization could miss the 6-foot-6, 220-pound prospect.

Butler encouraged Foster to play in summer collegiate wooden bat leagues such as the Virginia-based Valley League. Butler also recommended Foster for a MLB Scouting Bureau Showcase in Philipsburg, Pa, held after the 2008 season.

With the 2008 MLB First-Year Draft rapidly approaching the 50th and final round, Foster returned to his Valley League clubhouse to discover a phone full of voice and text messages.

“It’s a definitely an honor,” Foster said about being the first player in conference history to be selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft. “There were a lot of guys that I played with and against that could have worked out for some teams and done some free agent stuff. It just kind of worked out for me. My head coach (Butler) had a lot to do with it.”

Less than a week after being drafted, Foster signed a contract with the Pirates and reported to the team’s Pirate City-based Gulf Coast League team.

Hitters in the Gulf Coast League hit .291 against the right-handed Foster during his first professional season, but he limited opposing hitters to an average of .134 and compiled a record of 2-0 in 2009 with the State College (Pa.) Spikes of the New York-Penn League. He made a combined 48 appearances with the South Atlantic League’s West Virginia Power during the last two seasons before earning a promotion to the Class-A Advanced level with the Florida State League’s Bradenton Marauders earlier this season.

It was in Bradenton that he changed his style and learned to settle into a game.

“I was an adrenaline guy who liked to get amped up and all that stuff regardless of the situation,” Foster said. “For my stuff to work here, I have to stay calm and stay within my delivery. I know that I’m trying to get ground balls and get out of the inning as fast as I can. I’ll do whatever they need me to. Hopefully, in the fewest pitches possible.”