Hard-throwing Graham pushing to make Twins roster

FORT MYERS, FLA. – J.R. Graham, a Rule 5 draft pick, doesn't look like an intimidating presence on the mound. He's listed generously at 6-0, 210 pounds, though he's probably more like 5-11.

He's not big in stature but he has a big arm, and the hard-throwing reliever helped his cause to make the Twins roster by pitching out of an inherited bases loaded jam in the seventh inning Tuesday against Toronto.

Graham came in after Brian Duensing took a line drive off the leg. The bases were loaded with no outs in a tie game, 1-1.

"I just wanted to get out with as little damage as possible," Graham said.

He cleaned up the mess with no damage after getting a strikeout and a double play to end the inning.

"I loved that," manager Paul Molitor said. "That kind of got my blood going the right direction."

Graham allowed three hits and one earned run the next inning. J.D. Williams butchered a play in right field that made the inning worse than it should have been.

Graham's performance this spring has put him in the mix for one of the bullpen jobs. As a Rule 5 pick, the Twins either must keep the 25-year-old Graham on the roster the entire season or offer him back to the Atlanta Braves, his original team.

"If we think a guy has a ceiling, we'll take care of it, but first he has to make the club," general manager Terry Ryan said. "It's tough to carry a Rule 5 guy that doesn't contribute. We're hoping that J.R. Graham, if he does pitch well enough this spring, he could give us thoughts of carrying him."

Graham doesn't get short-changed on his fastball. His fastball topped out at 96 Tuesday. He hit 100 once as a junior in college and again as a minor leaguer.

"It's a cool number," he said. "Not too many people have done it. More people are doing it now. I can say that I'm in that class."

Graham said he's always thrown hard, starting in Little League, even though he wasn't a big kid. Power pitchers, he noted, come "in all shapes and sizes."

"People think I'm crazy when I say this, but the way I learned to throw harder was actually by throwing harder," he said. "If you want to throw hard, throw hard."

Um, OK. Seems logical enough.

"When I'm playing catch, I'm not just going to just lob it out there," he said. "I'm letting it loose every throw. It builds up your arm strength."

Graham also gained velocity over the years through strength training and running sprints. He said he does 10-yard and 20-yard sprints to increase his explosiveness.

Graham pointed to a large red spot on the outside of his big toe. That's his sure sign that he's pushing hard on his delivery and getting maximum velocity on his fastball.

He also knows that part of throwing that hard comes down to natural talent, too.

"I have been blessed with some good genetics," he said.

Graham has opened some eyes in camp and looks like he has a decent chance to make the team if he finishes strong.