The 2013 season was an interesting one for Phillies top pitching prospect, Jesse Biddle.
Often brilliant for Double A Reading, Biddle was the Eastern League Player of the Month of April. During the season, the lefty held hitters to a .210 batting average and had 154 strikeouts in 138 1/3 innings. Those numbers were good enough to get Biddle an invitation to big-league camp when spring training opens next month.
Despite those eye-popping numbers, Biddle went 5-14 in 2013 at Reading. The biggest culprit, of course, was run support. Biddle didn't get much of it last season. He did allow 82 walks, which offset the 104 hits he allowed. Coupled with the lack of run support, Biddle's penchant to put runners on base put a lot of pressure on the 22-year product of Germantown Friends Academy.
But the pressure is actually something Biddle enjoys. He is, after all, from Philadelphia and the idea of pitching in his hometown in front of the demanding media and fans is the kind of pressure the kid says gets him going.
"I like the pressure. I enjoy it. The more pressure on me the better I perform," Biddle said on Thursday's edition of Philly Sports Talk. "The closer I get to Philadelphia, the more pressure there is. There's more pressure from the media and friends and family will be coming to games. The closer I get the more I want to perform and succeed."