West Chester Grad Pitches in the Blue Jays System

Archbishop Carroll ace. Catholic League champion. West Chester University school record holder. It was only natural that Frank Gailey would add the next step to his resume.

Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect.
 
"High school was when I really thought that if I push myself every day, I could be one of those guys on TV," Gailey said. "I took to the pitching side because I was better at that than hitting."
 
Gailey, 25, pitched the Patriots to a 2002 Catholic League Championship as a junior, firing a three-hit shutout in a 16-0 win in the title game. That season, he went 10-2 with one save and a 2.28 ERA, recording 79 strikeouts in 70 innings, with only 12 walks.
 
"That was the starting point of me growing mentally as a player," he said. "I always had fun when I was younger, but Archbishop Carroll really taught me to figure out the game, break it down and notice the little things."
 
He had a role model in Mike Costanzo, who graduated a year earlier, went to Coastal Carolina and was drafted by the Phillies in the second round in 2005. Costanzo is now in the Reds' system with the Double-A Carolina Mudcats.
 
Gailey followed a similar path after going undrafted out of high school, enrolling at Division II West Chester University. There he set a school record for strikeouts with 242, and his 103 innings pitched in 2006 is a single-season record. His name is also peppered among the leaders in many other categories.
 
The Blue Jays selected Gailey in the 23rd round with the 715th pick. Gailey is the 25th of 26 Golden Rams chosen since the MLB player draft began in 1965. Three have made it to the big leagues: infielder/outfielder John Mabry, second baseman Pat Kelly and pitcher Lance Clemons.
 
Gailey and 2010 pick Bob Stumpo, taken in the 33rd round by the Philadelphia Phillies, are the only two West Chester players in pro baseball.
 
"I wasn't picky," he said. "College really helped me mature. Being a 23rd rounder, the eyes aren't on you. It's one of those things where you can put your head down and go, 'there are so many other guys ahead of me, I won't get a shot,' or keep working hard and make them notice."
 
Gailey stood out almost immediately, combining aggressiveness, pinpoint control and the ability to miss bats. The lefty tops out at 91 mph, but possesses a changeup and is developing a breaking ball. In four-plus seasons, he has struck out 258 batters in 263 innings, with just 57 walks and 10 home runs allowed.
 
In 2010 at High-A Dunedin, Gailey was the organization's pitcher of the year, after pitching 91 2/3 innings. He recorded 99 strikeouts against 10 walks.
 
"You don't see that very often," said New Hampshire pitching coach Pete Walker, a former major league pitcher. "It's a sign of good things to come. Anytime you have a strikeout-to-walk ratio like that, you're doing something right. He might not light up the radar gun, but he'll get it up to 92 and he locates very well."
 
Despite that success, Gailey began this season at Dunedin. He didn't sulk.
 
"Another bump in the road," he said.
 
After 26 1/3 innings with an ERA of 1.03 with Dunedin, he made his Eastern League debut May 28 vs. New Britain, working two scoreless innings. More than a situational lefty, he has worked two innings in three of his four outings.
 
"I don't consider myself a power guy," he said. "I'm a control guy. I worked fast, change speeds and hit spots. That's basically my game plan. I don't think I can blow anybody away, but if I hit my spot, I know I can get guys out."
 
He learned a lesson June 7, when Bowie lefty designated hitter Steven Lerud took him deep.
 
"Every level you go up, mistakes get hit harder and harder," Gailey said. "Hitters are a lot smarter and they come up there with a game plan. You have to adjust. I talk about location and changing speeds. It's more important to find a spot where they're not looking."
 
With continued developed, he may soon apply his knowledge against big-league hitters. Though not drafted as high as idol Tom Glavine (second round, 1984), Gailey can still reach the same level.
 
"You're always endeared to guys who were drafted lower because they've had to work harder," said Fisher Cats manager Sal Fasano, a 37th-round pick in 1993. "They're not able to fail, because they're released if they do. If they have success, it's a blessing.
 
Gailey has been counting his for a while.
 
"Guys are getting better," he said. "The game still isn't fast, but faster than it was. I need to stay ahead and keep doing what I'm doing."