(Photo: Getty)
It may sound bizarre, considering Ivan Nova was sent down the Scranton at one point during this season, but Ivan Nova is turning heads and proving to the world that he belongs in the major leagues. You don’t believe me? How’s this. Since he’s returned from Scranton, Nova is 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA. I know, that may not be enough for you, but how’s this. According to Jon Lane of YES.com, “Since being locked in the Yankees rotation, Nova is 7-0 with a 3.10 ERA in his last 8 starts.” To me, that speaks one word… Confidence.
Nova has all the confidence in the world and it’s that little thing that goes a long way. He’s not afraid to face anyone. When men are on base, he doesn’t panic anymore. Ivan Nova, dare I say, is pitching like a veteran.
Look, when Nova was demoted, we all know he was the wrong guy that had to go down, but it happened. Apparently, it didn’t hurt him though, it helped him. Why? Because he got a taste for the majors and knew that’s where he needed to be. According to YES.com, Nova harnessed that negative demotion into a positive, it helped him improve his performance on the mound.
(Photo: Getty)
Nova said “Confidence is the key to everything.” Hmmm, where have I heard that before, possibly here? I started writing about the importance of confidence back on September 2010 in WHY CONFIDENCE IS KEY about AJ and then again in March with WHY NOVA AND JOBA ARE KEY. We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue have been preaching confidence and the Pyramid of Pitching Dominance for almost a year now. It’s what makes a pitcher great and it starts with mechanics. With mechanic analysis comes confidence, when the confidence comes, any doubt leaves and focus takes over. Joba Chamberlain went through it, Phil Hughes is going through it and AJ Burnett’s struggling with it now. Nova has confidence, and that’s all you can ask for when putting a youngster out there. Good for him.
So, back to the point of all this, does Nova have a legitamite shot at Rookie of the Year? Sure, but if you’re a New York Yankee, you’re not thinking about individual awards, you're thinking about winning it all as a team. Nova, if he continues on this track has a great shot with other guys in the running too like Mark Trumbo of the Los Angeles Angels, Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals and JP Arencibia of the Toronto Blue Jays, Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays and Michael Pineda of the Seattle Mariners. Stiff competition? I say so, but right now, I'm putting my money on Supernova.
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