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Cool head, hot stuff Corpas' calm demeanor, determination, tough pitches formula for closing success



A scouting coup enabled the Rockies to sign reliever Manny Corpas, one that involved happenstance and blind luck rather than dogged persistence.

It happened eight years ago this week in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Corpas is from Panama City, Panama. Tim Ireland, the scout who signed Corpas, never mentions words like "isthmus" or "canal" with good reason. He never has been to Panama.



Ireland was the Pacific Rim coordinator for the Rockies in 1999. He was in Kaohsiung for an international tournament that included a team from Panama.

And before Corpas, 24, who has gone 11-for-11 in save opportunities for the Rockies after taking over the closer's role from a faltering Brian Fuentes last month, threw a pitch in the tournament, Ireland signed him for $17,500, basically because of a chance encounter at a convenience store.

It's easy to imagine a sweltering pursuit of Corpas in the equatorial heat of Panama, scouts slathered in sunscreen training their radar guns at a gangly teenager with a gifted arm. It's a little harder to envision the mystical experience that unfolded when Ireland saw the 16-year-old Corpas in a Kaoshsiung convenience store.

"I walked in, and I just stopped in my tracks and my mind, it was like, 'pitcher.' It was a revelation. I literally stopped in my tracks because I saw this pitcher," Ireland said. "I speak Spanish, and I said, 'Who do you pitch for?' And he said, 'Panama.' "

Truth be told, Ireland, to this day amazed by his coincidental meeting with Corpas, said it was entirely rational to hear this internal voice bellowing "pitcher" the moment he saw Corpas.

"Not too many guys walking around Kaohsiung looking like Manny Corpas," Ireland said. "If you've been around the block a little bit, you can spot a Latin pitcher in Asia."

Corpas smiled at the mention of Ireland but remembered being with a few teammates and had a slightly different recollection of the moments leading to the meeting with Ireland.

"I walked into the convenience store and noticed that the guy was walking after me," Corpas said through Joe Diaz, a Rockies clubhouse attendant. "I told my friends, 'This guy's following us.' "

There's no dispute about what happened next after they went back to Corpas' hotel and Ireland had the pitcher introduce him to his coach.

Ireland knew the lay of the land in Taiwan, having managed Taipei Gida in 1998 to an upset win in the Taiwan Major League championship series. Ireland said he told Corpas to get his spikes and they "snuck" into an old stadium.

"The kid had such a loose-looking body," Ireland remembered. "It was just mind- boggling. At 16 years old, he had these long arms. He just looked like the prototypical pitcher. He got on the mound, and I had a radar gun on him and like the fifth pitch, he hits 85 (mph) and he's 16 years old with an unbelievable body.

"I tell him, 'Hey, slow down. Take your time.' And he goes, 'No, I'm fine.' That's how loose and free this kid threw. That's all I needed to see."

Corpas got a different message when Ireland brought an abrupt end to the session.

"I worked out five other times and the scout would tell me to stop and they wouldn't sign me," Corpas said. "I expected it was another tryout without getting signed."

Instead, after watching Corpas throw, a jubilant Ireland called Gary Hughes, then the Rockies assistant general manager. The Rockies signed Corpas before the tournament started, offering $15,000 initially, Corpas said, and coming up to $17,500.

"I called my dad before they wanted to sign me," Corpas said. 'He said, 'Is that what you want to do?' I said, 'We'll talk later. I'm going to sign the contract.' "

Fast-forward eight seasons to this summer, and Corpas is a ballast in the Rockies bullpen. In addition to 11 saves, he leads the team with 60 appearances and has a 2.16 ERA with 18 walks and 50 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings.

Opponents are batting .216 overall against Corpas and .155 (9-for-58) in 18 games since July 6, a stretch during which he has a 1.10 ERA.

Reliever Matt Herges, 37, whose major league debut was Aug. 3, 1999, three weeks before Corpas and Ireland stumbled into each other, said, "Corpas is as even-keeled as anybody I've ever seen. He pumps strikes. Nothing rattles him. Talk about ice in the veins. He's way beyond his years. And then you talk about his stuff - it's 95 (mph) at the knees."

Corpas will throw underhand in the bullpen before starting to warm up, a habit that amuses Herges.

"He's like, 'I'm here to try and make life fun,' " he said.

Up to a point, that is. Corpas is by no means a cut-up, quite the opposite, really. Reliever LaTroy Hawkins, 35, who threw his first pitch in the majors in 1995, said of Corpas, "Very quiet guy. You never know what he's thinking, which is good. He's one of those guys that listens. He's always looking for answers to his questions, especially about baseball."

Hawkins said he has "the utmost respect" for Corpas, in no small part because on a recent road trip an apologetic Corpas approached Hawkins.

Manager Clint Hurdle does not use his relievers in more than three consecutive games. After pitching July 16-18 in Pittsburgh, Corpas was told he would be given a day off. The Rockies had moved on to Washington, when Corpas approached Hawkins and said, "Lo siento."

"I said, 'Sorry? What are you sorry for?' " Hawkins said.

"I no pitch today," Corpas said.

"You definitely don't have to be sorry for that," Hawkins said.

Never mind that Corpas had thrown 47 pitches the previous three days and had earned saves in two of the three games at Pittsburgh. Because there was no chance of pitching a fourth consecutive day, Corpas felt like he had let down his fellow relievers.

"And you don't find that too much in young guys," Hawkins said. "He has that mentality at a young age that he wants in there no matter what, and that helps. That right there showed me a lot - that he apologized for not being able to pitch that day."

Hawkins, who has made 614 appearances in the majors, simply told Corpas, "Everybody need a day."

Corpas, so intent now on pulling his oar daily, is far more mature than he was as a young professional. That's to some degree understandable, given the cultural and language barriers that confronted him.

After making one appearance for the Rockies team in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2000 and pitching for their team in the Dominican Summer League in 2001, Corpas came to the United States in spring training 2002, went through the extended spring program and pitched that year for Rookie Casper, a short-season team.

Casper manager Tony Diaz was the hitting coach there in 2002, and Richard Palacios, who left the organization after last season because of a family matter, was Casper's pitching coach.

Diaz, who was born in the Dominican Republic, and Palacios, whose parents are Cuban and who was born in the United States, both said that five years ago, the laid-back nature of Panamanians compared to other Latin players was less known and that it worked against Corpas.

"Even the Latins wondered, 'What's wrong with this guy?' " Diaz said. "His body language is bad, just always walking around like he's really tired, just going through the motions. But we realized it was more of a cultural thing with the Panamanians than it was really his personality, even though he was immature and he was high maintenance."

Diaz said Corpas trusted few people, particularly the American instructors. Palacios, whom Diaz extols for his work with Corpas, said Corpas had a "me-against-the-world" outlook.

Diaz credited Palacios with getting Corpas to trust what Palacios and the rest of the Casper staff and roving instructors were trying to do for him.

"I remember once we showed Corpas that we cared about him as a person," Diaz said. "Then he became more adept to follow instructions and really trust people. I'm very proud of him.

"A lot of people would have thought back then that if he was going to make it to the big leagues, maybe he would have been really arrogant, and that's been the opposite.

"He's extremely down to earth. The couple Panamanians we have in the system, he really takes care of them and the rest of the Latinos as well. It was hard to say back then that he was going to be such a role model."



INFOBOX

Apodaca's view

Manny Corpas started 2006 with Double-A Tulsa, where he went 2-1 with a 0.98 ERA and 19 saves in 34 games. After an eight-game stop at Triple-A Colorado Springs, Corpas made his major league debut July 18, 2006. Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca on Corpas:

* On Corpas assuming the closer's role: "It's very different now when you're the last line of defense. So I was very, very curious to see how he would handle this emotionally, how it would change him as far as his routine. It hasn't changed him one bit. He's prepared; if anything, I think he's gotten better."

* On how Corpas has handled that high-profile role: "I don't think I've seen any signs of doubt, of not being aggressive. Everything is full bore, and I think he relishes the role. I just think this kid is far ahead of what we had hoped he would be at this stage." (Said Corpas: "I like to close. I've always done it.")

* On Corpas' repertoire: "He's more aggressive in the strike zone. He is very aware of how he needs to develop and improve his second pitch, his slider. It's not bad. It's not a vicious slider; it's not in that category. I think with normal improvement of that secondary pitch, hitters are going to scratch their head because his movement on his sinker is unbelievable and it's thrown at 95 (mph)."

* On Corpas' game plan: "Basically, he's a two-pitch pitcher that challenges the hitter to hit my sinker. 'If I locate it, I think I'm going to win this match.' That's what most closers are made of: I'm going to beat you with my best. See if you can hit my best."

Panama connection

Forty-nine current or former major leaguers are natives of Panama, including the Rockies' Manny Corpas. A few of the best:

* Rod Carew (1967 to 1985): Hall of Fame infielder won seven American League batting titles and hit .328 in 19 seasons.

* Mariano Rivera (1995 to present): Likely future Hall of Famer has 433 career saves for the Yankees, third on the all-time list.

* Carlos Lee (1999 to present): Has 245 home runs and a .288 career bat- ting average with the White Sox, Brewers, Rangers and Astros.

* Manny Sanguillen (1967 to 1980): Pirates and Athletics catcher who hit .296 and was named to three All-Star teams.

* Ben Oglivie (1971 to 1986): Won the 1980 AL home run title (41) and batted .273 with 235 homers in 16 seasons with the Red Sox, Tigers and Brewers.

* Roberto Kelly (1987 to 2000): Hit .290 with 235 steals in 14 seasons with the Yankees and seven other major league teams.

Source: Baseball-Reference.Com



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