Turgeon Proves Looks Can Be Deceiving

August 21, 2008   ·   Patrick Hickey, Jr.   ·   Jump to comments

In just over a month with the Brooklyn Cyclones, reliever Erik Turgeon has quickly become a go to guy in the team’s bullpen, becoming a regular with stalwarts Roy Merritt and Jimmy Johnson and giving the Mets Single-A affiliate a solid three-punch that can keep them in ballgames.

Looking at his stats, you’d think Turgeon would be a huge mass, armed with a plethora of tattoos, a Fu Manchu mustache and handle-bar sideburns.

Striking out 19 and walking only four in 14 innings this season for Brooklyn can do that kind of thing.

However, the “real” Erik Turgeon looks more like a young soap opera star, sporting a scruffy black mop on his head and a trademark smile. Despite his unassuming and almost pretty boy look on the mound however, Turgeon has proved to be a commodity for a Cyclones team that depends on their pitching staff to win ballgames.

“He’s been very good for us this season,” said Cyclones manager Edgar Alfonzo. “He has good command of his fastball and hits his spots. All of our guys have had a chance to pitch in all types of situations this season and they’ve proven themselves. He’s definitely done that as well.”

Coming from U-Conn after the draft, Turgeon knew he had to learn and adapt to get his game to the next level and wasted no time doing so. Dedicating himself to learning the art of pitching under the Confucius of pitching himself, Brooklyn pitching coach Hector Berrios, Turgeon feels he has transformed himself into a different player under his guidance.

“Hector has worked with me everyday,” Turgeon, who was originally drafted by the Red Sox in the 49th round in 2005, said. “This is my first season in professional ball and my first as just a pitcher and without him, I don’t want to think about where I’d be. Everything you see me doing on the mound, I’m working on in the bullpen. It’s been a year of changing things up, while working with the things that got me here. It’s been hard, but it’s been fun too.”

Now with the tools to succeed at the Single-A level, Turgeon doesn’t even want to think about what his game was like just a few months ago in U-Conn.

1-0 with a 6.67 ERA in 28.1 innings with the Huskies this season, before being drafted in the 25th round of the amateur draft by the Mets, Turgeon has grown by leaps and bounds as a player in a very short time.

“In college I threw a curve ball freshman and sophomore year, but they shut it down,” he said. “My junior year, I was throwing a slider, but it wouldn’t slide. It was like a straight 84-mph fastball. Now I’m throwing the curve ball and the slider and I still have my changeup. My go to pitch is still my fastball and I’m still learning, but I know I still have to develop more.”

Nevertheless, despite his struggles in college ball, Turgeon does use them as a reference point.

Refusing to stop developing his pitches, Turgeon has vowed to never be unprepared on the mound again.

Becoming a better pitcher everyday he’s on the mound, Turgeon has exhibited the arsenal of pitches and overall toughness to be a competent reliever at any level he performs at.

He doesn’t need a Fu Manchu mustache or handle bar sideburns to prove it either.

“Pitching in college, all I had was a fastball,” said Turgeon. “Aluminum bats and fastballs aren’t a good combination, especially when they know it’s coming. Here, I’ve worked on my off-speed pitches and in college I just threw them. Here, I have to also make sure I always work down. I’m happy it all got me here, but I’m happy college is over and I’m glad I’m here.”

Photos by Ron Hatcher.