Hampton Starting Fresh

Mike Hampton strolled off the mound, having completed another baby step in the rehabilitation of his career.

Granted, it was just batting practice, and spring training was only a week old. Still, Hampton’s pitches had some of their former bite, plunging toward the dirt as they crossed the plate.

“I’m starting to see some of the old movement,” he said, relaxing later in the Atlanta Braves’ clubhouse. “It wasn’t perfect, but it’s the best I’ve been all camp.”

Yes, he seemed to be telling himself, things are getting better.

Of course, they can’t get much worse.

Hampton’s career veered horribly off course during two years in the thin air of Colorado. The guy who put up a dominating 22-4 record in 1999 was nowhere to be found, replaced by some hack who made everyone look like Barry Bonds.

After a 9-2 start with the Rockies, he went 12-26 with a 6.62 ERA the rest of the way, becoming so frustrated that he was practically throwing sidearm in a futile attempt to make his pitches move like they once did.

He remembers facing his old team, the Houston Astros, and getting plenty of puzzled looks from former teammates such as Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio.

“They were like, ‘What are you doing? When did you start throwing sidearm?’ ” Hampton recalled. “I was trying to make the ball sink, and I got into some bad habits that carried over to the road. It became part of my repertoire.”

Last season, Hampton went 7-15 with a 6.15 ERA -- the highest of any full-time starter in the big leagues. And it wasn’t like he was just getting knocked around at the hitters paradise known as Coors Field. Hampton actually pitched worse on the road (3-12, 6.44) than he did in Denver (4-3, 5.68).

“Somewhere, it all went south,” Hampton said. “It was mechanical things, nothing major. But all those little things add up.”

As the situation worsened, his mind became cluttered with all sorts of thoughts and ideas. From a pitching point of view, he was a psychological mess.

“When I’m on the mound, the least I’m thinking about, the better,” Hampton said. “Instead of just gripping it and letting it go, I was thinking, ‘Is it going to cut like I want?’ You can’t pitch that way.”

Hampton, a Florida native, wanted to sign with the Braves two years ago but couldn’t pass up Colorado’s staggering $121 million, eight-year offer.

He finally got to Atlanta via a complex, three-way trade, starting fresh with a team known for dominating pitching during its run of 11 straight division titles.

Pitching coach Leo Mazzone didn’t even bother watching film of the last two seasons, preferring to draw his own conclusions after seeing Hampton in person.

The left-hander wanted to get started right away. He showed up for “Camp Leo,” a pre-spring training session at Turner Field, where Mazzone immediately picked up some flaws in Hampton’s arm positioning.

At spring training, they have continued to work on breaking Hampton’s habit of dropping his arm when he throws his slider and four-seam fastball.

So far, Mazzone is happy with the results.

“The other day he broke out all his pitches,” the coach said. “Everything was moving good. He looked very good.”

Mazzone rolls his eyes whenever the last two seasons are brought up. As far as he’s concerned, the Braves acquired one of the top pitchers in baseball. No need to worry about what happened in Colorado.

“I’m just trying to make sure he doesn’t try to do more than he can,” Mazzone said. “All I think about is where he is now and how he can improve so he has a good year.”

No one is more anxious for a do-over than Hampton. While patiently answering questions about his Colorado nightmare, he’s already looking forward to pitching for the Braves in some real games. Maybe then he’ll make people forget.

“I know there are questions,” Hampton said. “I can’t wait to get on the mound and write the final chapter.”

The 30-year-old Hampton is part of a revamped rotation in Atlanta. Tom Glavine now pitches for the Mets. Kevin Millwood was traded to the Phillies. Damian Moss was dealt to San Francisco.