Knights' Lefty Joey Wise Blossoms in Bullpen.
August 6, 2014Southpaw Hopes to Get Drafted Again in 2015
A recent hiccup at Klamath Falls can't diminish the outstanding job lefty Joey Wise (pictured) has done out of the bullpen for the Knights this summer.
The lithe 6-foot-2, 180-pound Arizonan has filled a crucial role for Corvallis, with outstanding performances while customary closer Brandon Choate was sidelined for several weeks with a troublesome elbow.
Wise is 0-1 with a 2.76 ERA and three saves in 10 games, with eight strikeouts in 13 innings. He blew a save at Klamath Falls this past Friday, but that was the first time all summer he'd allowed a run or faltered when asked to perform.
More typical is his July 30 outing against Bend. With the Knights clinging to a 4-3 lead, Wise pitched a perfect ninth for a critical save as the Knights won the series and stretched their South Division lead to three games.
"I just came in, didn't try to do too much, tried to stay within myself and just throw strikes," he said. "Recently I've been pitching to contact and letting my defense do the work. You couldn't ask for a better defense. You just have to throw strikes.
"I love closing, just the adrenaline" of being the guy with the baseball when the game is on the line. "Finishing it is the best part of the game, knowing we have the win. It's my favorite."
This summer has been the perfect antidote to a frustrating freshman season at Grand Canyon University for the Cave Creek, Ariz., native. He was looking to hit the reset button after going 0-1, 15.00 in six games at GCU, with four strikeouts in six innings.
"I just came out with a little chip on my shoulder," he said. "I wanted to prove to myself that I could do better than I did at Grand Canyon. I've done that."
His time at GCU, a transitioning Division I program in Phoenix, was an imperfect storm. He didn't pitch much, and when he did, he didn't pitch well.
"There was a period there where I didn't even see the mound for a month and half," he said. "It's just hard to develop and hard to be the pitcher I want to be if that's going to be the case. It just went downhill."
So, he decided to transfer to Gateway Community College in Phoenix in hopes of rediscovering the magic that led to his being selected by Cleveland in the 33rd round of the 2013 MLB draft after his senior season at Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek.
"I'm most definitely excited about it," he said. "Hopefully it will be a good group of guys and we will win a lot."
Joey Wise will be draft-eligible again after next season. He hopes to get another opportunity, as he's dreamed of playing professionally for as long as he can remember.
"It was definitely a good experience being drafted," he said. "Hopefully I'll get drafted again [but] you just have to be happy with what you have.
"There were some second thoughts; you never know what could have happened," said Wise, noting the Indians offered him far more than the customary $2,000 or so bonus money for lower-round picks.
"But that's chasing the dream. Whatever is meant to be is meant to be."
In the meantime, he's continuing the legacy of excellence established by his Knights/Grand Canyon predecessors, Jorge Perez (2012-2013) and Andrew Naderer (2013). Each earned WCL postseason honors and Perez and Naderer were the winning pitchers when the Knights swept Wenatchee last summer for their third WCL championship.
"They loved it up here," he said. "They told me what a good program it was, with good fans and everything. They really hyped it up. George and Nader loved it here."
