Margevicius Continues His Attack of Opposing Batters
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Nick Margevicius was a surprise to make the San Diego Padres 40-man roster out of spring. The 22-year-old made only one start above the Single-A level in his career, but he earned his spot by attacking hitters and throwing strikes.
Petco Park is a beautiful place. The city of San Diego provides the perfect backdrop for the venue.
Looking around the stadium and soaking it all in is something Nick Margevicius is slowly doing. “It’s pretty awesome. It’s really cool. You can’t really put it into words. It has been a great experience. It is everything people think it is,” Margevicius said with a smile on his face. The left-handed pitcher worked very hard to get to where he is, and he loves his experience so far. “This whole weekend has been awesome.”
The reality of being a major league pitcher is still setting in for Margevicius. “I haven’t had time to really process everything. I have been so busy since I got here,” Margevicius said. There is a tremendous work ethic associated with this pitcher. He is already taking advantage of the facilities. “Here, everything you need is available so you can get some really quality work in. I am just taking advantage of that stuff,” Margevicius said.
Family is big for Nick. His dad was a significant influence on him. On Saturday, his family was there for his major league debut. “They would not have missed it. They could have told me at 12 o’clock the night before I was pitching, and my family would have found a way to get here,” Margevicius stated. Family is a massive support system for the pitcher. The Margevicius’ clan will be huge fans of the Padres this year, Nick assures me of that.
Francisco Mejia was behind the plate for Margevicius’ start. We spoke about the Dominican backstop as Nick gave the catcher a lot of credit for his performance. “We had a good gameplan. We worked together in the springtime three or four times. He did a great job behind the plate for me,” Margevicius said intensely.
As mentioned, Margevicius attacks hitters relentlessly. He is not blessed with an upper 90’s fastball, but he continues to pitch aggressively. “Hitting is very hard to do,” Margevicius explained. “Simply put, it’s really hard to do. I recognize that fact. Obviously, the hitters here are the best in the world. I respect that. But at the same time, I plan for them too. I want to attack them. I feel like if I pitch to my gameplan, I can be successful,” Margevicius said. He knows his strength is pitching while ahead in the count. He does whatever it takes to get strike one, and that is partially why he is in the majors.
He is unafraid to fail, and the coaching staff sees that. He may get hit hard every once in a while, but he will adjust with the proper mentality. “I am going to make mistakes, and they are going to hit them. I know that I am not perfect, but I will try to be,” Margevicius said. Being a major league pitcher is difficult, but Nick Margevicius is ahead of the game when it comes to the mental aspect of it.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.