Pitching prospect Aaron Kurcz isn't surprised about all the hype directed toward Bryce Harper, the No. 1 pick in last June's First-Year Player Draft, who is now playing in the Arizona Fall League.
Kurcz, a 10th-round pick by the Cubs this year, and Harper were teammates at the College of Southern Nevada. Harper, a catcher, batted .443 with 31 homers and 98 RBIs in 66 games.
"I probably get asked about him every other day," Kurcz said last week in Mesa, Ariz., where he was taking part in the Cubs' instructional league.
Is Harper that good?
"He's a good player, probably one of the best hitters I've ever seen in my life," Kurcz said. "He has more power than anybody I've ever seen, which is crazy coming from a 17-year-old. He's a good player, a good guy, too, off the field."
Kurcz liked throwing to Harper, whose brother, Bryan, was drafted by the Cubs in June as well. Bryan, a pitcher, decided not to sign and instead went to school at South Carolina.
Cubs coaches are just as enthused about Kurcz's potential, even if he doesn't get the attention that Bryce Harper has. In 25 games at Class A Boise, Kurcz compiled a 2.05 ERA and nine saves, striking out 46 over 26 1/3 innings. The strikeout totals are impressive, especially when you see Kurcz, who stands six feet tall in cleats and weighs 175 pounds.
"He [throws] anywhere from 92 to 94 [mph]," said Mark Riggins, the Cubs' Minor League pitching coordinator. "It's amazing how hard he does throw. He reminds me of Casey Coleman, with just a little more velocity than Casey. [Kurcz] is a real good competitor, and he's 20 years old."
Kurcz originally enrolled at the Air Force Academy, but after one year and a summer pitching for the "Beatles" in the Northwoods League in Alexandria, Minn., he decided to switch schools so he would be eligible for the First-Year Player Draft.
"I was giving up pro ball to go [to the Air Force Academy], so I got out of there," said Kurcz, who was encouraged by his father, Anthony, to pursue his dream.
The summer in Boise and the time in instructional league has convinced Kurcz that he made the right decision. The Cubs' coaching staff, including former big league pitchers Greg Maddux and Jeff Fassero, have given the right-hander some valuable advice.
"In college I'd just go out there and throw the ball," Kurcz said. "To learn how to actually pitch here is huge for me."
Kurcz knew about some of the mechanical tweaks the coaches wanted him to make -- stop throwing across his body, for example. But he hadn't, because he was having success.
"Some of the stuff I was doing put stress on my arm," he said. "The things they want me to change will help me stay healthy."
Maddux, an assistant to general manager Jim Hendry, spent his first year on the job traveling to the Minor League teams, talking to the young pitchers.
"Just talking to him for 30 minutes, I felt I got a lot of information," Kurcz said of his time with the four-time Cy Young Award winner.
The next story will not come as a surprise to anyone who has spent any time in the dugout with Maddux.
"I was sitting with him during a game, and he told me, 'Watch, this guy is going to miss up and in,' " Kurcz said. "The very next pitch, the guy hit the batter up and in. [Maddux] called it. He knew what was coming. He knows what he's doing."
Kurcz knows he has a lot to learn, but he's already been tested. In June, right before the Draft, Southern Nevada faced Iowa Western in the Junior College World Series. Southern Nevada had the lead, but Iowa Western's Brent Seifert hit a two-run homer off Kurcz with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a 9-8 win.
"I was in the bullpen warming up to go close," Kurcz said. "They let [Joe Robinson] try to finish the inning. Then they called on me with two outs and runners on. I fell behind, and [Seifert] hit a fastball. With a metal bat, the ball jumped off his bat. It wasn't too much fun to go through."
In a perfect world, he would like to be a closer in the big leagues. Games like the one against Iowa Western will prepare him for that.
"If I blow a save, which hopefully doesn't happen too often, I think about it a little bit, but I want to face the same team as soon as I can," he said.
Sounds like Kurcz is ready. Though he worked as a starter in instructional league, he prefers to pitch in relief.
"I feel I'm better out of the bullpen," he said. "Starting, I did it in high school. I like starting, but I feel I'm better out of the bullpen because I have more adrenaline and my pitches seem sharper out of the bullpen -- I don't know why, but they do."
Kurcz knows he has a long way to go. He'll be back home, throwing to his dad, before too long as he prepares for his dream, playing pro ball.
"I was real excited [when I was drafted], but my parents were even happier," he said. "They knew this is what I wanted to do, this is what I came home for."
