Marauders' Cumpton Flourishes After April Struggles

Struggling a month into his first full season as a professional baseball player, Brandon Cumpton was able to look back at what he really learned during those sessions of catch with his father.

Ron Cumpton, a former standout athlete who lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track and field while in high school, not only helped his son become fundamentally sound. He also passed along some intangibles that prepared young Brandon for a three-year career at Georgia Tech and his current job as a right-handed starting pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

"If things don’t go your way, just continue to work hard," Cumpton said a day before making his debut with the Bradenton Marauders of the Class-A Advanced Florida State League. "He taught me to play the right way. Run out those fly balls and groundballs. All the little things."

After being selected by the Pirates in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft, Cumpton made four appearances for the State College (Pa.) Spikes of the New York-Penn League last summer. He was 0-1 with an ERA of 2.53 in 10 2/3 innings of work.

With six weeks of instructional league and two minicamps under his belt, Cumpton reported to spring training with aspirations of earning a spot on the Opening Day roster of a full-season minor league team. That team ended up being the West Virginia Power of the Class-A South Atlantic League.

"I didn’t start off on the right foot, but I think it’s better that I went through the struggles early on rather than later," Cumpton said. "I definitely learned a lot about myself. Early on, I was trying to make the perfect pitch. I would leave stuff up without much aggressiveness or much intent behind it. I still get hit, but it’s just being more aggressive toward hitters. If I make a mistake or miss my spot, it’s because I was aggressive and not tentative. I feel like that has been the big difference between then and now."

Cumpton allowed seven runs in each of his first three starts with the Power before rebounding to compile a 6-0 record and a 1.16 ERA in the month of May. A couple days after hitting two batters in a scoreless second inning of the South Atlantic League’s All-Star Game, Cumpton was promoted to Bradenton.

"I was actually kind of nervous (during the South Atlantic League All-Star Game)," Cumpton said. "I hit two guys, but I got out of it. I just wanted to go out there and have fun and be competitive and see where I was at with other guys. Once I got up there, I felt a little more comfortable. I’m not one of those big prospects or anything, but I feel like I can compete with the best as long as I stay focused."

Taking the hill on Sunday in his first game as a Marauder, Cumpton allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out two over the first five innings of an eventual 11-3 victory in St. Lucie over the host Mets. He left the game with a 3-2 deficit after inducing a groundball double play and getting Stefan Welch to look at strike three in the bottom of the fifth inning.

"I’m just looking to continue to get better each day," Cumpton said. "As a starter, you have to try to get at least five or six good innings in and not put too much pressure on the bullpen. You try to eat up innings for the bullpen and keep your team in the game. Giving my team a chance to win the game is all I can control."