Clay Buchholz, by his own admission, was a little too "static-y" in his head last season.
Perhaps the worst thing to happen to the 24-year-old wunderkind was the no-hitter he pitched at the end of the 2007 season. Pitching that gem and having some amazing minor league numbers set up lofty expectations last year for the raw right-hander, but Buchholz clearly wasn't equipped to deal with the mental and physical challenges required of a big-league starter.
When the dust settled, a 2-9 record and 6.75 earned run average told the exact story of what happened to the boy wonder on the mound.
"My mind was just an array of thoughts on the mound ... I didn't even know what I was thinking," Buchholz said.
He worked on his craft in the Arizona Fall League and heard his name whispered in trade rumors involving young Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia -- and likely will again with the sudden release of catcher Josh Bard.
"They're going to do whatever they need to do to make this team better," Buchholz said. "But I think I've shown them (this spring) that I'm a major league pitcher, not just a guy throwing a ball to a catcher with no confidence.
"I feel like I've gone out showed them that I worked in the offseason and have done whatever I needed to do to be a part of this team."
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