Perfect Game 2016 MLB Draft Preview Index
Prior to the 2016 season, all Maryland righthanded pitcher Mike Shawaryn had tasted was success. That isn’t to say Maryland didn’t enjoy a successful season, but after reaching 40 wins in both his freshman and sophomore seasons, both of which included an appearance in the NCAA Super Regional round, a 30-27 season in 2016 with no postseason berth certainly was somewhat of a disappointment.
The success didn’t begin at Maryland, as Shawaryn had also won four consecutive state championships while in high school at Gloucester Catholic in South New Jersey, one of the strongest high school baseball programs in the nation. He also played for the Tri-State Arsenal travel team, a program that has a great history of success at national tournament events, including those hosted by Perfect Game.
A big part of the disappointment – which seems like too strong of a word – has to do with expectations, as head coach John Szefc and his staff are changing the culture in College Park, Md. There is a greater emphasis on recruiting, and while there are more young players for Terps' fans to look forward to in future years, it was unrealistic to expect another return to Super Regional play after the team lost eight significant contributors to big league teams in the 2015 MLB Draft.
This year, Shawaryn knew it was up to him and his fellow upperclassmen to do their best to groom those future classes of talent, just like the classes that preceded Shawaryn had done with him.
“When you lose a lot of those guys to the draft, and a lot of those guys played a lot of innings for us, that has to be expected,” Shawaryn said in a recent interview with Perfect Game. “I think with them, especially the things they instilled on me and some of the younger guys, was the sense of urgency and going about our business the right way.
“I think this year, more than anything, a lot of the (current players) that had been around those guys just tried to instill that (same thing) into the freshmen, the newer guys to the program to prepare the right way every day and create our own luck. It was unfortunate the way this season ended but sometimes that’s just the way baseball is.”
Maryland’s season ended in Omaha, at TD Ameritrade Park, home of the NCAA Division I College World Series. The scene wasn’t the CWS but the Big Ten Tournament, where Maryland entered as the conference’s sixth seed.
Shawaryn was handed the ball in their first game against Indiana and saved one of his best starts for last, a complete game victory in which he struck out 16, his third complete game of the year.
“I wanted to help the team, and more so the program, get to the next level,” Shawaryn said of his final performance. “If I was a freshman and you would have told me that we would have 30 wins and win a couple of games in the conference tournament and be considered to make the NCAA tournament only to say that it was a disappointing season I would laugh and say 'no way.'
“Just to see how that has progressed in my three years says a lot. It’s not what I’ve been able to do but what the team’s been able to do. That means a lot, more than the two Super Regionals, which obviously have a big impact on that, but to see the culture change from my freshman year to my junior year, and expectations, that’s something I take pride in. It starts with our great coaching staff and runs down through all of the players that have been here. My mom always says, 'You want to make sure you leave a place better than you found it,' and I think I’ve done a good job with that.”
To Shawaryn, the 2016 season went much like his previous two for the Terps, although the numbers didn’t necessarily reflect it. A 6-foot-3, 208-pound righthanded pitcher, Shawaryn had some high expectations of his own to live up to coming off of two dominant seasons; that included his sophomore year when he went 13-2 with a 1.74 ERA. The ERA wasn’t as low this year (3.18) and the win-loss record wasn’t as one-sided either (6-4), but the rest of the numbers were remarkably consistent.
Here are Shawaryn’s three-year numbers while pitching for Maryland:
2014: 11-4, 3.12 ERA, 16/16, 92.1 IP, 89 H, 72 K, 24 BB
2015: 13-2, 1.71 ERA, 17/17, 116 IP, 85 H, 138 K, 29 BB
2016: 6-4, 3.18 ERA, 15/15, 99 IP, 69 H, 97 K, 26 BB
Overall: 30-10, 2.61 ERA, 48/48, 307.1 IP, 243 H, 307 K, 79 BB
The appearances, innings, hits, strikeouts and walks allowed all relative to one another were essentially the same. And his stuff was no different either, routinely sitting at 89-93 mph with his fastball, as he had done his previous two seasons, with his signature slider and a polished changeup. He continued to use all three of those pitches, mixing and matching efficiently to get batters out.
So what can be attributed to the change? It’s hard to pin it all simply on the overall success and strength of the program, but it did seem as though when he did get hit they came in succession, and he was more prone to big innings.
“Sometimes it’s just baseball,” Shawaryn answered in a matter-of-fact fashion. “Sometimes the ball has eyes and sometimes it doesn’t. I didn’t really feel like it was a big difference from last year to this year. Numbers-wise it kind of looks different, but I felt good throughout the season, and whether it was last year or this year I was just trying to put my team in a good position to win.”
There was some concern in the scouting industry that there was something larger at play, and some also wondered if he had lowered his arm slot, making his stuff travel on a flatter plane. Shawaryn didn’t see it that way, although readily admits that he is prepared to make whatever adjustments are necessary for him to continue to succeed at the professional level.
“Preparing the right way,” Shawaryn continued. “Doing your business day in and day out and knowing that it’s a grind. Some things don’t happen overnight and you have to really work at it. I have that taste of winning, and I’m a guy that hates to lose more than I like to win. Last year when I had a lead pitching it was just kind of ‘lights out.’ There was no turning back. That’s kind of how I learned. I pitched with a lead (a lot). This year I learned not to take that for granted and I think I’m a better pitcher now going through this season.”
In the middle of the year, Shawaryn, who had been the team’s Friday night ace throughout his sophomore season and to open his junior year in 2016, had been bumped down in the rotation to assume the Sunday role in a series against Ohio State. At the time it was viewed as a demotion, an opportunity for the ace to re-find his groove that would allow him to be successful again.
However, the reason behind the move had more to do with Shawryn and the Maryland staff looking for an opportunity for him to continue to hone his craft. Shawaryn himself had a few things mechanically he was working on, and with two games being played in the middle of the week prior to their weekend series against Ohio State, Shawaryn pitched off the mound on the Thursday before the series started to work on those adjustments.
“We had a meeting and we were talking through some stuff and we decided that I wanted to get out before my next start and I wanted to work on some things,” Shawaryn recalled. “I was all for it because I thought it would benefit the team in the long run and we wound up sweeping Ohio State. (After that) we kept with it because we’re not a little superstitious we’re just a little ‘stitious. One thing led to another and I got back into the Friday spot and I kind of took off from there.”
Prior to arriving in College Park Shawaryn had taken his time making his college commitment, as he didn’t lock in to Maryland until March of his senior year in high school. That made him somewhat of an anomaly, a “mythical creature” in the eyes of the Maryland coaching staff led by recruiting coordinator Jim Belanger.
Upon arriving on campus, and continued with the immediate success he enjoyed – winning the first start in the second game of his collegiate career in a contest against the mighty Florida Gators – Shwaryn was dubbed “The Unicorn” for his rare nature, a moniker that provokes a laugh when brought up and something he embraces as he fondly recalls his time spent at the University of Maryland.
“It goes back to my freshman year and I had a great mentor in Jake Stinnett,” Shawaryn said. “He taught me the ins and outs of baseball and what I needed to do in between each start to keep my body ready. I think the biggest lesson I learned is to listen to your body. Do what you can to get better and be ready for your next start. I’ve taken that to heart. I train hard, I’ve had great strength coaches (including) Seth Diters, who’s now at Florida State, and our new guy, Esteban Doria, push us really hard.
“For me it’s like studying for a test. Each week you have your test and you have to prepare the right way for that test in order to be successful. As serious as a test is that’s how serious my starts are and I take a lot of pride in being able to prepare the right way each day, whether that’s mentally or physically. Pitching is tough because (with) hitting you can take as many hacks as you want and you’re not really doing any danger to yourself. And if you’re not doing anything that day work the mental aspect of the game and get ready for the next day. (All of that) has helped me not miss a start, and go deep into games too.”
Shawaryn’s durability might be the most impressive part of his career. He has amassed 30 wins, 300 innings and 300 strikeouts during his college career, remarkable numbers for any college pitcher and one believed that isn’t currently match by any other draft-eligible player.
And as the draft approaches Shawaryn patiently waits to see what his future has in store. While he doesn’t routinely sit in the mid-90s with his fastball teams know what they’re going to get in a polished righthander that could soar through the minor leagues and be a productive middle-of-the-rotation workhorse.
His profile is similar to that of St. Louis Cardinals' Lance Lynn, a big-bodied righty who also doesn’t consistently pump mid- to upper-90s fastballs in the zone but whose stuff plays up due to his feel for pitching and overall command. He had the same profile coming out of Ole Miss, and that recipe has led to an All-Star appearance, 61 wins and a 3.37 ERA in just five seasons, and could be one fans can expect from Shawaryn.
“Preparing the right way,” Shawaryn said of what big league teams can expect from him. “Doing your business day in and day out and knowing that it’s a grind. Some things don’t happen overnight and you have to really work at it. I have that taste of winning, and I’m a guy that hates to lose more than I like to win.
“Last year when I had a lead pitching it was just kind of ‘lights out.’ There was no turning back. That’s kind of how I learned. I pitched with a lead (a lot). This year I learned not to take that for granted and I think I’m a better pitcher now going through this season.”
When it comes to the draft, when there are already so many uncertainties surrounding all of the players available, ‘The Unicorn’ truly is unique given how consistent he has been.