Kyle Simon relieved Phillies acquired him

In the middle of last season, there was relief for Kyle Simon.

After opening the year as a starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles' single-A affiliate in Frederick, Md., Simon was told before a scheduled June 30 outing in Winston-Salem, N.C., that he should not get dressed for the game.

"I'm trying to get mentally ready for the start and my coach is telling me not to do anything," Simon said. "I'm thinking, 'Holy smokes, I'm about to be suspended or something.' Everybody was like, 'No, you're about to be traded.' "

That's exactly what happened. The Orioles dealt Simon and Gabriel Lino to the Phillies in exchange for 41-year-old Jim Thome. Phillies director of professional scouting Mike Ondo said Lino, a 19-year-old catcher, was the Phillies' initial target in the deal, but Simon quickly emerged as a legitimate prospect after joining the organization.

In a conversation with Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan, Simon was immediately told that he'd be pitching out of the bullpen.

"With the Orioles the first half of the year, I was starting, and I was 2-8, and I was freaking out," Simon said. "Joe Jordan had drafted me with the Orioles and he saw me in the pen my first few months when I first signed, and I was just flourishing."

Simon, a 22-year-old righthander, was one of seven Phillies minor-leaguers in Philadelphia this week for a prospect seminar. The other six players were pitchers Adam Morgan and Ethan Martin, catchers Cameron Rupp and Tommy Joseph, third baseman Cody Asche, and outfielder Zach Collier. Rupp is the only player among the seven who will not be with the big-league club in spring training.

"Joe told me the Phillies see me getting to the big leagues quickest out of the bullpen and I ended up dominating in Reading and Clearwater," Simon said.

In seven relief appearances at Clearwater, the 6-foot-5 Simon was 3-0 with one save and a 1.26 ERA. He was 1-0 with three saves and a 1.42 ERA in 13 appearances at double-A Reading.

"I like the 'pen better," Simon said. "I get to hang out in the bullpen, hang out with the guys until the later innings, and it's more relaxed. With relieving, you get to go in and get everything you want out on the table and get it done. I like to pitch under pressure."

Simon admits he fits the late-inning reliever stereotype with his sidearm delivery and mustache, but he added he'd be willing to pitch in any role.

He did make a brief return to the starting rotation after the season, when he pitched for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League. He said he was the only pitcher on the Javelinas staff who had been stretched out as a starter last season, and the Phillies also wanted him to work on throwing a slider.

"My first outing was horrendous," he said. "The worst outing I've ever had in my life."

Seven of the eight batters he faced got hits, and he surrendered seven runs. He made four more starts, pitched considerably better and sharpened his slider. The Javelinas also won the AFL championship, so the experience wasn't so bad. Still, he was relieved to know that the Phillies still planned to use him in relief in 2013.

A former psychology major at the University of Arizona, the Southern California native said his college classes have helped him in his chosen profession of baseball.

"It definitely has helped me," he said. "Once you get to this level, it's all about the mental game, and taking all those classes at Arizona has really helped me out. I've met a lot of coaches in summer leagues who were studying psychology, and they gave me a lot of information on that stuff, too. I've learned to be mentally tough."

Simon said the one brain he wants to pick in spring training is that of Roy Halladay, a master of mental toughness.

"That's my big plan for spring training . . . because we have similar type sinkers and sliders and cutters, and I really want to develop what he's got," Simon said. "I want to feed and learn off him because he is the master."