Isotope hurler Mears already has had an eventful career

Apr. 6—(Photo gallery from Salt Lake's 6-5 win over Albuquerque on Thursday.)

Everybody has a story. Nowhere is this more true than minor league baseball.

For instance, Nick Mears. By the years:

2014: Pitched his senior season at Rocklin High School in Rocklin, California, with a torn ulnar collateral ligament and ended up getting Tommy John surgery.

2015: Sat out season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

2016: Fractured collarbone sustained during a dirt bike accident, sat out season.

2017: Pitched at Sacramento Community College, 2.56 ERA (31.2 innings pitched, nine earned runs) over 18 games before pitching for the Willmar Stingers (Willmar, Minnesota) of the Northwoods Summer League.

2018: Took time away from the game and ended up sitting out the majority of the season after the death of his grandfather and multiple friends.

2020: Made his major league debut on Aug. 8, posted a 5.40 ERA in four games for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Retired Miguel Cabrera for his first MLB out.

Mears took a breath.

"It was definitely a roller coaster," he said.

Mears, who did not appear in Thursday's 6-5 loss to visiting Salt Lake at Isotopes Park, is still on that ride.

Top prospects will come through Isotopes Park this season. Stars on rehab assignments. Journeyman players, taking in another season with another organization. Mostly, guys just looking to get back up and stay back up.

Then, there are guys like Mears. Guys who don't fit neatly into any of those boxes. Guys who know you have to learn on your own.

"Or you're forced to learn," he said. "I think that when I stepped away from baseball in 2018, due to just life, I was forced to learn. Because in my eyes, I don't think I was in the right head space or I was the right person to pursue my goals of being a professional baseball player."

Standing in the Isotopes home dugout, Mears said he feels like he's in the right state of mind heading into his sixth pro season, the first with the Rockies organization as a relief pitcher after spending his last five with the Pirates.

That time off in 2018 was one of his first "realizing moments" that gave him the perspective to get to this point. The end of 2022 was just as important.

"(Pirates general manager Bob Cherington) said, 'hey, we believe in you,'" Mears said after struggling to rehab throughout the 2022 season. "And that was really big for me, because I knew what was at stake, with the (5.11) ERA in Triple A and trying to get back to the big leagues. It just wasn't gonna happen."

Mears started playing baseball when he was 3 years old. Over the years, he got to a point where he checked nearly every box as a pitcher: strikeouts. General philosophy. A four-seam fastball that exploded out of his hand, a 12-6 curveball that dropped at every level.

Overall, he had "the stuff" to make it to the majors after a great high school career and strong season at the community college level.

"But it's the walks that killed me ... I feel like going into the season, that's really been my commitment — I have good enough stuff to challenge guys in the zone and still get them out," he said. "That's been the biggest thing: trusting myself and knowing that even though I'm attacking them in the zone."

So, since the end of 2022, he's worked to attack that. It fits in well with the Rockies approach to pitching, Mears said, placing a premium on the "mental standpoint" as opposed to a pitcher's mechanics after a good or bad outing.

In turn, that works for a pitcher who knows how important it is to be mentally locked in, focused on the next pitch. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Because if you're still thinking about (a) home run you just gave up, you're not competing in the moment. And competing in the moment is everything at this level. You have to bring your best stuff every day, every pitch, every second when you're out on that field.

"It's definitely hard to get to that next pitch because you're nervous. But there's no time for that. You have to have confidence and intent on everything that you do. Because at the end of the day, if you give it up and you think back, 'well, I should have done this.' That's gonna eat you alive here."

Mears has learned that lesson. Standing in the home dugout, he's content with the next pitch ahead of him.

"If they get me, they get me. But I'm gonna get them more than they get me."

'TOPES FRIDAY: Vs. Salt Lake

6:35 p.m., Isotopes Park

RADIO: 610 am/ 95.9 FM

PROMOTION: Magnet schedule giveaway

PROBABLE STARTERS: Bees RHP Chase Silseth (1-0, 0.00) vs. Isotopes RHP Jeff Criswell (1-0, 0.00)

THURSDAY: Salt Lake's Kevin Padlo lined a pinch-hit two-run homer in the eighth and the Bees rallied for a 6-5 victory. Albuquerque's Nolan Jones homered for the sixth time in eight games dating back to 2022 with Indianapolis.