With more and more players reporting down to the Tampa Yankee complex to get ready for the season, that also includes plenty of former Baby Bombers that we were fortunate enough to cover over the past couple of summers.

One of those ex-Staten Island Yankees who was an integral part of the 2006 New York-Penn League repeat was relief pitcher Nick Peterson. The 23 year-old University of Tampa product is living out a dream pitching in the Yankee organization trying to climb his way up the ladder.

Selected by the club in the 12th round of the 2006 MLB Draft, Peterson has made the smooth transition from starter to reliever. In his first pro season spent out here with the Staten Island Yankees, he appeared in 30 games going 5-3 with a solid 1.93 ERA saving 14 games while fanning an impressive 53 in 37 and a third innings. Such notable numbers earned him NYP Mid-Season All-Star status.

Down the stretch of that special season, he shifted to a setup role to make room for closer prospect Mark Melanchon, who shut the door on Tri-City in a deciding Game Three to help the club become the first Penn League repeat winners in more than two decades.

Peterson’s second pro season didn’t go as planned. With Single-A Charleston, he struggled with control problems walking 19 batters in only 13-plus frames before being sent back to Staten Island to get it ironed out. After returning to a familiar setting near The Ferry Terminal, he was two-for-two in save opportunities before elbow tendonitis sidetracked the affable reliever who enjoyed his stay in the big city.

Though it was an uphill battle to get back, Peterson proved that he was healthy by the end of the season tossing six scoreless while fanning 11 to conclude his second Baby Bomber stint with a perfect 0.00 ERA and 12 K’s.

Entering his third pro season, he’s hoping for a healthier 2008 looking to progress in the organization. But first things first as he’s back close to home training and was kind enough to give us a few minutes.

Hitting Back: How was your offseason?

Nick Peterson: The offseason was great! I took a few weeks completely off just to let my body rest. As you know, I had a little tendonitis so the rest was much needed. Sometime in October I started going in to the complex to lift and keep the conditioning up. Hit the weights pretty hard but didn’t start tossing till close to January. The offseason is nice, but after a couple months of no ball I start chomping at the bit to get started again.

HB: You had a setback last summer and had to shut it down for a while. How tough was it not being able to go out on the mound?

NP: Yeah tendonitis got me and we had to shut down the throwing for a couple months. Unfortunately there wasn’t much I could do but rest and rehab it so I could finish up with a few innings before the end of the season. It’s a common thing among pitchers so I tried not to get too dissapointed about missing games. Of course watching everyone else throw from the bench is tough, but I tried to keep a positive attitude. I just thank the Lord it wasn’t anything serious.

HB: You returned and finished strong. Would you say you were you 100 percent back?

NP:  I did come back and end the season with a couple weeks of solid innings. I felt like I threw the ball well. After plenty of rest, conditioning and arm exercises, the tendonitis was gone and my arm felt 100%.

HB: As someone who was an integral part of a Penn League winner, you got to participate in an exciting rivalry with Brooklyn. How much did you and the guys get up for those games?

NP: Well, anyone who’s played for Staten Island or the Brooklyn Cyclones knows there’s an intense rivalry between the two teams. Victory was always sweeter when it was over the Cyclones. The crowds are into the games. And any kind of New York fan knows their sports. That’s why it’s always exciting to play in front of them. But yes, there was always that extra boost of adrenalin when playing the Cyclones.

HB: Have you kept in touch with many of your former teammates?

NP: I do try to keep in touch with some of the guys over the offseason. And one or two of them even live in the Tampa area, so hitting the links to play a round of golf was always nice.

HB: Can you talk about the mentality coming out of the pen as opposed to starting? Is it a different approach?

NP: Since playing professional ball I’ve only been a reliver, but I did start in college so I have had the chance to compare the two roles. And yes they are two different mentalities. For me, as a starter, it was always better to be relaxed and be prepared to pitch deep into the games. As a short relief guy, I’ve found that the blood flows a little quicker. Especially when closing. You’re either the hero or the goat. If you happen to have a bad inning, then you’re most likely walking off the field with a Loss. As a starter you have that next inning to rebound. When coming out of the pen it’s very likely that you could throw back to back days. And the key to being successful to that is to have a short memory. You have to forget what happened the night before and be ready to pitch again the next day.

HB: You had some control issues with Charleston last year. Was there something you worked on with pitching coach Jeff Ware to correct the problem?

NP: Yeah we were toying around with some things in Charelston and it resulted in a disastrous couple months. Before heading to SI, I spent a week or so in Tampa working with Gil Patterson and Carlos Chantres. We had to go back to the basics and start over fresh. I actually think getting out of there and clearing my mind was better than staying and struggling. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to stay there with the team, but at the time I wasn’t helping them win. They had a great season and unfortunately I didn’t get to stay longer to enjoy it with them. Once in SI Jeff Ware worked with me and he did a great job of helping me keep my mechanics simple and pitch the way I know I can.

HB: Being from the Tampa area, what’s it like getting to train close to home at the complex?

NP: Having the complex and the facilities so close to home is extremely convenient. Having a stength trainer, athletic trainers and pitching coaches on site is definitely a plus. And with the warm weather the ability to be on the field through the offseason and winter was a blessing in disguise.

HB: Do you have any specific goals heading into your third pro season?

NP: I feel as if I’m more prepared for the full season this year since I’ve now been through one. I just want to stay healthy this year and I believe I’m physically in shape and ready for it. Of course we all have places we want to be at this year or numbers we want to achieve, but I think my focus needs to be on just pitching like I know how to pitch and taking the season one game at a time. I feel like I’m blessed with an ability and I’m confident that I have the stuff to pitch with the best of ‘em, and that’s all I need to know going into this season. The rest of it I can’t control. I can only control what I do out there.

HB: Final question: What did you enjoy most about New York City?

NP: New York City is something else. Like I said New York fans are the most exciting to play for. They’re really into their baseball and I think that makes the game and experience so much more fun. Aside from baseball, a couple trips over to the city were necessary to get out and take advantage of being up there. There’s a lot of places I’d still like to visit in the city and plan on one day living up there!

Special thanks again to Nick for taking time out of his busy schedule to grant us a few minutes. Best of luck this season to him and the rest of the players I had the pleasure of covering.