The formula isn’t complex for a player to move up from independent baseball to a major league organization.
It’s even less complicated for a pitcher.
“It’s pretty simple,’’ Slammers right-hander Duke von Schamann said. “They want to see dominance. Especially at my age, I’m not talking about just the best guy on the team. You’ve got to go for being the best guy in the league.’’
Von Schamann is on the right track in the Frontier League.
The 6-foot-4 Oklahoma native is 4-1 with wins in his last four starts, and his 2.72 ERA is 11th in the league going into Sunday’s games. He has 28 strikeouts and only six walks in 43 innings.
“He’s turned into one of the better pitchers in this league right now,’’ Joliet manager Jeff Isom said. “He’s having a great year for us.’’
It’s a good time for it. The 27-year-old von Schamann is in his final year in the Frontier League because of the age limit.
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The former Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians farmhand looks at his last season in the league as a springboard back to affiliated ball.
“Exactly,’’ he said. “That’s how you have to think about it. Right now, I concentrate on our team and trying to get wins.
“At the same time, you’ve got to think about the big picture. Make sure you’re working hard every day and doing the best you can so people hear good things about you so you get picked up for next year, hopefully a better league.’’
This is von Schamann’s second season with the Slammers. He spent 2016 with Winnipeg in the American Association.
“I know I’m getting up there,’’ he said. “I learn something every start that I make. I try to get better every single time. Now I’m getting older, so it’s coming together.’’
Von Schamann led the Slammers last year in innings pitched (122), starts (19) and strikeouts (89). He went 5-8 with a 4.05 ERA for a team that finished 42-54.
The record and ERA are much better this season because Von Schamann keeps “learning so much about pitching.’’
“This offseason I figured out a little timing issue,’’ he said. “I realized I had been throwing a little early my entire career, releasing the ball a little early instead of really letting it go at the end.
“Notice the big leaguers, they wait to the very end to throw. They get a crazy kind of whip. I’m able to throw the ball a little later, which gives me tighter spin, sharper pitches.’’
Von Schamann realizes there’s more to success on the mound than being able to execute pitches.
“I’ve seen tons of guys with great stuff, but they were not strong enough mentally,’’ he said. “That’s a huge part of being a pitcher. That’s one thing I take pride in. I always stay calm out there. I’m always thinking. I take it pitch to pitch.’’
Von Schamann has used a combination of a two-seam fastball, change-up and slider to put together impressive numbers and draw interest from major league organizations.
Age wasn’t a factor for former Slammers reliever David Kubiak, who’ll be 29 in August. He signed with the Yankees Class AA team in 2016 and is currently playing with Somerset in the Atlantic League.
“As long as you’ve got a uniform on and you’re still playing, you have a chance to go somewhere,’’ Isom said.
Von Schamann knows what it takes to get there.
“You have to dominate,’’ he said. “There’s no other way around it. That’s what I’m trying to do.’’
Tim Tierney is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.