I recently finished the Afterword for the tradepaper edition of High Heat, which will be out in February 2011. Here's what I wrote about the Rays' David Price, who led the Tampa Bay Rays to a playoff berth last night.
"Every time I saw Price pitch during the 2010 season, I was tempted to say that I knew him when. In researching High Heat, Price was the latest phenom, a season or so ahead of Stephen Strasburg, Aroldis Chapman and the new crop. Still, Price was on the outside looking in back then. When I first interviewed Price, he was at Triple-A Durham, wondering if a move to the bullpen would hasten his final call-up to the majors. In 2010, though, the left-hander came into his own, establishing a club record for victories and perhaps providing solace for the young guns following in his wake."
"Every time I saw Price pitch during the 2010 season, I was tempted to say that I knew him when. In researching High Heat, Price was the latest phenom, a season or so ahead of Stephen Strasburg, Aroldis Chapman and the new crop. Still, Price was on the outside looking in back then. When I first interviewed Price, he was at Triple-A Durham, wondering if a move to the bullpen would hasten his final call-up to the majors. In 2010, though, the left-hander came into his own, establishing a club record for victories and perhaps providing solace for the young guns following in his wake."