Ryan Feierabend won’t pitch against the Indians during the Seattle Mariners’ three-game stop at Progressive Field, but that doesn’t mean area baseball fans shouldn’t continue to keep their eye on the 23-year-old left-hander.
Feierabend, who grew up in Grafton and starred at Midview High School, appears to be on the verge of big things in the big leagues as he winds down a promising 2008 season.  
Following a sparkling stint in the minors, the former Middie has worked his way into the Mariners’ rotation where he will most likely finish the year after making three starts thus far — 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA, allowing just four runs over his last two outings (12 innings).
“Things started out well at Triple-A,” said Feierabend, who went 7-1 with a 2.04 ERA in 13 starts at Tacoma. “Then I had some (left) elbow issues and spent two months on the disabled list. Since I’ve been back, the mechanics have fallen into place and things have been going pretty well.”
They’ve gone so well that with the elbow problems behind him, Feierabend, a third-round draft choice of the Mariners in 2003, can see his dream of pitching in the majors on a full-time basis within reach.
With Seattle owning the worst record in the American League, the Mariners’ roster has been inundated with an influx of young talent from the minors. Of the 25 players with the club now, 12 began the season at the Triple-A level.
Few spots in the rotation are locked down, which means Feierabend is almost guaranteed of at least a shot at making the starting staff this spring.
“There are opportunities for guys up here,” Feierabend said. “There are a lot of guys vying for spots next year. Hopefully they see something they like. Next year in spring training I’m going to give them everything I’ve got and try to prove that I belong on this team.
“I try not to put too much pressure on myself, because I’ve found things usually don’t go well when you do that. I can’t control the decisions they make in the front office. I respect all the decisions they make and I try to focus on what I can control.”
Feierabend has been under the microscope before.
He made his big league debut with Seattle in 2006 before appearing in 13 games (nine starts) during four separate stints with the Mariners last year, when he posted a forgettable 1-8 record and 6.75 ERA.
The 6-foot-3, 228-pounder arrived at training camp prior to this season vying for a spot in the bullpen as a lefty specialist. It was a failed bid, but one that resulted in Feierabend flourishing upon his return to the familiar starting role — a spot he seems to be most comfortable in.
The milestones have already been many for Feierabend, who has made his big league debut, secured his first win in the majors and got to pitch against the team he grew up rooting on — the Indians — in a game last season at Seattle’s Safeco Field.
Feierabend didn’t fare well against the Tribe — six runs on eight hits in just 2 2/3 innings — but the experience of pitching against his hometown team is one he’ll cherish until he gets another chance.
“It wasn’t so much weird, because the (Indians) teams that I grew up watching had disassembled, (Manny) Ramirez and (Jim) Thome,” Feierabend said. “It was definitely cool, so to speak, to pitch against a team I grew up idolizing.”
Throughout a professional career that has taken him to Washington, Texas and Wisconsin, Feierabend has remained true to his Ohio roots.
He married his high school sweetheart from Midview, Sarah Maxwell, and, until recently purchasing a home in Peoria, Ariz., had returned to Lorain County each offseason, taking in a handful of Browns games. His parents recently moved from Grafton to Elyria, where Feierabend spent last winter.
The two-time Lorain County Player of the Year and a first-team All-Ohio performer during his senior season at Midview, had family and friends from the area in attendance for the series opener Friday night, which included his former high school baseball coach Greg Bansek and his family.
Sure, Feierabend is a big leaguer from Midview High. But he’s also a polite, well-spoken individual who respects his hometown and the people that live there.
Now that’s a guy worth keeping tabs on.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

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