Baseball: Suspension won't stop Kalispell's Pistorese

Joe Pistorese knows he made a mistake.

Unfortunately, he has a while to wait before he can redeem himself.

The 2011 Flathead High School grad and Seattle Mariners draftee was handed a 50-game suspension in early September after testing positive for an amphetamine, a violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Pistorese, 22, has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and, after that diagnosis was confirmed by the Mariners, was told by team medical staff that he would need to switch his long-time prescription from Adderall to another, similar, drug.

The left-hander said he did not make the switch of medications quickly enough and was informed of his positive test nearly a month before it was announced.

“It’s been stressful,” Pistorese said of his experience. “It was a misunderstanding between me and the organization – I misunderstood and was still taking (Adderall).”

While disappointed, Pistorese does accept responsibility for the failed test.

“I tested positive,” he said. “That’s what I did.”

Pistorese pitched for the Everett Aqua Sox this summer, and served the first three games of his suspension at the end of this season. That means he must sit out the first 47 games of next year, requiring patience from his bosses in Seattle.

“(The Mariners) understood it wasn’t that I had a drug problem or something that I needed to take care of,” Pistorese said. “They understand exactly what happened and we’re trying to not blow it out of proportion.”

If the Kalispell native’s bosses see more of what they saw this year, they’ll be rewarded for waiting. Pistorese had a sensational first season as a pro, going 6-0 with a 1.28 ERA as a versatile weapon out of the AquaSox bullpen.

Pistorese, who had never in his career been a full-time reliever before this summer, allowed only 35 baserunners in 42 1/3 innings and notched 46 strikeouts. His 0.83 WHIP was fourth among Pioneer League pitchers, making him one of the circuit’s most efficient hurlers.

His successful move from starter to reliever – Pistorese started a school-record 55 games over a four-year career at Washington State – and his work overall left his coaches impressed.

“He’s a very good athlete and he has a very high level of aptitude,” Everett pitching coach Jason Blanton said. “You tell him something one time and he’s going to be able to grasp onto it and make it his own.”

“It was a seamless transition (from starter to reliever) and it was very cool to watch.”

“(Pitching out of the bullpen) was a little different and there was a period of time where I had to get used to it,” Pistorese said of the move. “There is probably more stress overall as a starting pitcher because you’re expected to go as long as you can, but it’s a lot of stress right away out of the bullpen.”

Pistorese did not have the typical reliever’s workload, with eight of his 16 appearances lasting at least three innings. Late in the year, Pistorese morphed from a sporatically-used long man to one of the AquaSox’s most reliable arms, notching three saves in seven outings from August 8-30 and allowing only three hits in 17 1/3 innings during that stretch.

“He has a big set of you-know-what on him,” Blanton said. “It was, ‘let’s get Joe in the game because we need to get out of this right now.’ He didn’t shy away from any moment.”

Pistorese will report to Mariners spring training in Peoria, Arizona in February before being assigned to a minor league club, where he will serve the duration of his suspension.

At least one of his observers this summer thinks the best baseball is still ahead of the southpaw.

“Personally, I thought to get a guy like that in a round like that (17th) was an absolute steal,” Blanton said. “I don’t know how he fell to where he did in the draft. I think he has the physical ability and the makeup to be a major league pitcher. Some of that’s going to be up to him, but the physical tools and the mental makeup are there for him to make it.”

For now, Pistorese is back at Washington State to finish up an art degree and reflecting on the whirlwind of his final college season and first as a professional.

“It’s all kind of sinking in right now,” Pistorese said. “I think this is the first offseason I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve got about four months off right now, and I’m going to hit the weight room and get better.”