Twins seeing ‘Real Deal’

Organization likes confidence Durbin brings to the mound

The confidence and borderline cockiness in J.D. “The Real Deal” Durbin began forming at age 9, when his Little League baseball coach called him up to the “majors.”

“I was 9, and I was playing with 11- and 12-year-olds,” Durbin said, referring to the South Scottsdale, Ariz., Little League Major Cubs. “That was my first callup to the big leagues. I had a very good Little League coach. He taught me all the fundamentals of pitching.”

Now 22, Durbin, a right-handed pitcher with a 96-mph fastball, again has a shot to be one of the youngest players on his team, this time on the major-league Minnesota Twins.

Durbin, a second-round draft pick in 2000 out of Coronado High School in Scottsdale, has a 31-11 record and a 3.02 ERA over 62 minor-league starts.

The Twins awarded Durbin with their minor league pitcher of the year award in 2002. He followed that by going 9-2 with a 3.09 ERA last season in 14 starts for the Class A Fort Myers Miracle and 6-3 with a 3.14 ERA for Double-A New Britain in 2003.

“We want to give him a look,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. “He’s got a gifted arm, and he’s got a lot of energy.

“He’s confident, and he backs it up. He’s confident, and there’s nothing wrong with that. He’s got some charisma about him and some energy about him.”

So far this spring, Durbin has pitched three innings, struck out four, walked one, allowed one home run and has a 6.00 ERA. He’s scheduled to pitch in relief of Kyle Lohse on Saturday at the Lee County Sports Complex against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Born Joseph Adam Durbin in 1982, his former Little League coach, Tom Kirchheimer, began calling him J.D. because there were two Joe’s on the team.

“He came to my team as a 9 year old,” Kirchheimer said. “Basically, realistically, I knew I was getting somebody who was going to be a pretty good ballplayer over time.

“Spoken modestly, I’m not a typical Little League coach. He’s the third kid I have coached who has been in the minors, and hopefully the first one who will be in the majors.

“My contribution has been basically to try and instill that confidence and that little cocky attitude in there.”

The attitude came forth in 2000. After striking out “two or three guys” in a Gulf Coast League game — a league mostly full of teenagers, Durbin returned to the dugout and announced, “I’m the real deal! I don’t (mess) around out there!”

“The Real Deal” stuck as a nickname — enough that when Durbin walked into the New Britain clubhouse for the first time last summer, someone put “Real Deal” above his locker instead of “Durbin.”

Durbin admits his confidence in his abilities may have put off some in the Minnesota organization, but the Twins now look at the pitcher’s upbeat attitude as a positive.

“A lot of guys were giving him grief about being ‘The Real Deal,’ ” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “But he has a pretty good handle on what he’s supposed to be doing. If he comes out and dominates, and nobody else is doing anything, he’ll find himself a spot.”

For now, the only thing Durbin needs to find is a ride to and from work. He didn’t bring his car to town, so he relies on his roommate to drop him off at the sports complex first thing in the morning.

Durbin then bums a ride home from one of his closer friends on the team, usually catcher Joe Mauer, first baseman Justin Morneau or catcher Rob Bowen.

Mauer is expected to start the season at catcher, and Durbin hopes to be throwing to him.

“That would be perfect, making the team,” said Durbin, who is in big-league camp for the first time. “But right now, I’m concentrating on learning how things work.”

Durbin learns by watching the Twins play. Unlike many of his peers, he rarely leaves the dugout during spring training games — even on days he doesn’t have to pitch.

“He’s watching,” Kirchheimer said. “He’s trying to learn. His desire for trying to learn has a lot do do with that.”