Embracing pro ball as a minor-leaguer in the Cincinnati Reds organization
GOODYEAR, Ariz. – He looks like the same kid standing in the bright Arizona sunshine on a March afternoon who dominated and intimidated hitters on high school diamonds in New Jersey last spring.
Looks, however, can be misleading.
Standing outside the spring training facility of the Cincinnati Reds, the loose-fitting street clothes hide the 30 pounds Tyler Mondile – the first-team NJ.com All-State selection in 2016 from Gloucester Catholic – added since graduation last June.
Since being selected in the sixth round of the 2016 MLB Draft and signing a $310,000 contract with the Reds, baseball has gone from a sport to a profession.
“Each day I put on the uniform, I am reminded that I am a professional,” Mondile said. “When I talk to my parents and friends, I tell them I have to go to work.”
Mondile said he will start his first full season of minor league ball in either Class A Dayton (Ohio) or Billings (Montana) next month.
Mondile, who lives in an apartment with five other Cincinnati prospects, arrives at the training facility by 6:45 a.m. He leaves camp after a highly structured day around 3 p.m.
“What you do day-to-day is a little more set in stone than what you would do with your team and on your own in high school,” Mondile said. “You are treated like an investment.”
Everything a player does – especially a young one – is watched. From stretching, to throwing, to fielding to distance running after practice is watched by coaches, trainers or cameras.
“There are cameras all over the complex,” Mondile said. “Every day matters, every pitch matters, everything you do matters.”
Mondile, however, has embraced the lifestyle.
He hired a nutritionist.
“Basically, no more McDonalds,” he said laughing.
He hired a personal trainer – Rob Rabena of Maplezone Sports Institute in Chester, Pa., who rebuilt his body adding 30 pounds of baseball-specific muscle.
“It's not always just about mechanics,” Mondile said. “It’s about breaking bad habits. For me, it’s made a difference. I feel better.
In high school, I threw 90-95. Here I’m throwing 92-94, but doing it longer and on a more consistent basis. I have endurance and my arm just feels better. I feel stronger.”
As a senior at Gloucester Catholic, Mondile struck out 65 batters in 47 innings with his 95 mph fastball -- the highest recorded speed in the state last spring.
Mondile was 6-1, allowed 26 hits, five earned runs and walked 11. He finished with a 0.75 ERA and a .787 WHIP.
He has added a slider to his already effective fastball, curveball, change-up repertoire.
“It’s coming along,” Mondile said of the slider. “It’s a pitch I really like. At this level, you need something a little different when you are facing a lineup for the third time.”
Mondile said the Reds have not tinkered with his delivery at all.
“Tony Fossas, the pitching coordinator, believes that what you were doing was good enough to get you here,” Mondile said. “It’s about learning how to pitch.”
Mondile remains a competitor. In high school, Mondile was considered nasty. He was known to occasionally plunk a hitter.
“I had a bad reputation in high school, like I was a dirty player or something,” Mondile said. “I busted my tail in high school. I was a competitive.
“In high school, I was the main guy, a huge fish in a very small pond,” he added. “You see more lefty hitters here. Everybody has talent and stuff.
“I want to win anytime I take the mound,” Mondile said. “I want to make it to the show.”
Joe Zedalis may be reached at jzedalis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @josephzedalis. Like NJ.com HS sports on Facebook.