Ennis Feeds His Fastball by Starving His Stomach

John Ennis once had an arm like a cannon and a stomach like a billy goat.

At Monroe High, the 6-foot-5 right-hander overpowered opposing hitters and double cheeseburgers with surprising ease.

That all changed when he signed with the Atlanta Braves as a 14th-round selection in 1998.

The daily wear and tear of pitching at the professional level took its toll on his arm and his eating habits caused him to balloon to 235 pounds.

It was time for a change.

“I used to be able to eat anything I wanted and it never showed,” Ennis said. “It got to a point where I figured that I’m only going to be playing baseball for a short time, so I needed to make some adjustments and give myself a chance to be successful.”

Ennis dropped 25 pounds before arriving this year for spring training, thanks to an off-season diet, increased weight training and a cardiovascular program.

Now, the only thing he’s feasting on is South Atlantic League hitters.

Ennis, 20, has dominated since being promoted from extended spring training to the Class-A Macon Braves on June 3.

Ennis (2-2), who takes the mound today at Charleston-South Carolina, has struck out 30, walked four and allowed only 13 hits in 23 1/3 innings.

After his first two seasons in the Brave organization, he had a career earned-run average of 4.95, but has trimmed that to 2.31 this season.

In high school, Ennis used a fastball clocked regularly between 88 and 91 mph to strike out 96 batters in 81 innings and led City Section pitchers in the region with a 1.30 ERA.

But during stints in the rookie-level Gulf Coast and Appalachian leagues, Ennis topped out at 90 mph, and that came on one pitch during his last outing of the 1999 season.

“I was just weak,” he said. “It’s something a lot of guys go through when they first start playing pro ball.”

This season, Ennis’ fastball has been clocked several times in the 94-mph range.

“I’m starting to feel comfortable now,” he said. “My arm has finally adjusted and I’m feeling awesome.”

Ennis is reluctant to entirely credit his rejuvenation to his off-season regimen, but “It was definitely one of the factors,” he said.

And to think the whole turnaround began with one simple goal.

“My original goal was to have abdominal muscles that were visible,” Ennis joked.

With that accomplished, he also enjoys seeing the looks on friends’ and teammates’ faces when they first lay eyes on the new-and-improved John Ennis.

“A lot of the guys were in awe [of the weight loss],” he said. “Things are great. These days, I like going to the supermarket and looking for the good things to eat. It’s like my hobby now.”

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Joe Borchard of Stanford, the former Camarillo High outfielder who was the Chicago White Sox’s first-round draft choice last month, was scheduled to be in Chicago with his family this weekend for the team’s series against the Boston Red Sox.

Borchard, who has yet to sign, characterized himself as “signable,” but was considering a return to Stanford, where he could start at quarterback for the football team.

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While in Chicago, Borchard might run into Jon Garland, the former Kennedy High right-hander.

Rumors of a Garland promotion to the White Sox were swirling again this week after starter Kip Wells continued to struggle.

Manager Jerry Manuel told the local media a decision whether to demote Wells and possibly replace him with Garland could happen as early as this weekend.

Wells (4-7) has a 12.27 ERA in his last two starts.

Garland is 9-2 with a 2.26 ERA at triple-A Charlotte and is scheduled to play in the Futures Game next Sunday as part of the major league All-Star weekend in Atlanta, and the joint Triple-A All-Star game July 12.

If Garland is called up, he will be ineligible for the triple-A game.

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The week of June 19-25 was a good one for two former Lancaster JetHawks.

Pitcher Greg Wooten of New Haven was selected the Eastern League’s player of the week after firing a four-hit shutout against Norwich.

Wooten, the Seattle Mariners’ third-round selection in 1995, was 8-4 for Lancaster in 1996.

Wooten, 8-2 with a 2.92 ERA at New Haven, was chosen to the American League squad for the Double-A All-Star game, to be played July 12 at Bowie.

The game will be televised on tape delay on July 12 by ESPN2.

Outfielder Tarrik Brock was selected the Pacific Coast League’s batter of the week.

Brock, who played for the JetHawks in 1997, batted .480 with four home runs and 11 RBIs for Chicago Cub affiliate Iowa.