Mount Pleasant Magazine March/April 2013

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ing with every intention of impressing Phillies’ Manager
Charlie Manuel, but he realizes that his chances of being
in Atlanta on April 1 when the Phillies open their 2013
season against the Braves are slim. The good news is that
as the season progresses, the possibility increases that
this will be the year he makes his Major League debut.
Plagued by injuries in 2012, the Phillies recalled 12 dif-
ferent pitchers from Lehigh Valley; 10 of them worked
out of the bullpen. The bad news is that none of them
were named Mike Cisco. Though he has put together
impressive back-to-back seasons, he’s not on the Phils’
40-man roster, which means the team would have to
release another player to take him to Atlanta at the end of
Spring Training.
He’s encouraged by the fact that two of his teammates
at AA Reading at the start of 2012, B.J. Rosenberg and
Tyler Cloyd, were pitching in Philadelphia before the end
of the year.
“Anything can happen during the season. You have
to be ready if the opportunity arises,” he said. “The last
two years, my numbers have been hard to beat. It’s a little
frustrating, but it’s out of my control. All I can do is keep
doing what I’ve been doing.”
Cisco said he has mixed emotions when a teammate
gets a ticket to Philadelphia. Some of the pitchers the
Phils called up last year were close friends who came up
with him through the team’s farm system.
“You want it to be you,” he said. “But at the end of
the day, the players aren’t the ones making the decision.
Rooting against your teammates is not a good way to go
about your business.”
Cisco, whose fastball is in the 92 mph to 93 mph
range, certainly lively enough for success at the Major
League level, also throws a changeup and a slider. He
pointed out that it’s vitally important to be able to use
any pitch in any count.
“Command is important. When you can command
all three pitches, the hitter can’t zero in on one pitch,”
he said.
Many players have put together a backup plan, a way
to make a decent living just in case they don’t make it to
the majors. Mike Cisco hasn’t considered that possibility.
“That’s not even in my mind. I’ve spent so much time
in baseball, and I absolutely love it,” he commented. “I’m
not giving up.”
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AP2012/03/0369
Billy Swails, Agent
Registered Representative
Bus: 843-884-5149
Billy Swails,Agent
Registered Representative
1047 Johnnie Dodds Blvd
Mt Pleasant,SC 29464
Bus:843-884-5149