When Travis Banwart takes the mound for the Sacramento River Cats, you could say he has fans on every team he faces. On Friday night, Banwart fanned six and gave up just 2 hits in six innings of work to lead his team to a 4-2 victory over the Reno Aces.
The River Cats are in first place in their division in the Pacific Coast League and Travis Banwart is a key ingredient to the club’s success. He leads the club with 92 strikeouts and has pitched more innings than any other River Cats hurler, with 99.2. I had a chance to chat with the lanky 6’3″ right-hander before Saturday night’s game at Raley Field.
Inside the Dugout with River Cats Ace Travis Banwart
Banwart’s fastball has been clocked at 96 miles per hour, but yet he told me, “I’m more of a finesse pitcher who throws strikes – that’s how your get the strikeouts.”
His slider is his “out pitch,” but he also throws a fastball, curve and changeup. And it’s the curveball that’s the hardest to throw, he told me. “It’s just hard to get your arm out front sometimes – it’s hard to place where you want it.”
Put placing the pitch was no problem for Banwart on Friday night, as he gave up just one earned run in notching the victory. He credits his catchers Anthony Recker and Josh Donaldson for their leadership behind the plate.
“They call a very good game, ” Banwart told me. “And I can trust them with whatever sign they put down. I know I can throw it and they believe in it.”
Travis Banwart also credits his dad for believing in him.
“I talk to him every day,” he said. “After I’ve pitched he always wants to know what I thought and how I did. We’ve definitely got a great relationship going”.
It was a relationship that started when Travis was just a young boy, growing up in Wichita, Kansas.
“We started out at a young age, playing catch in the backyard, just like every other kid. And then the relationship has grown so much more since I’ve been away from home.”
Travis Banwart was a star pitcher on his college team, the Wichita State Shockers. “We went to the Super Regionals my junior year,” Banwart stated. “We had a great group of guys there. I’m actually now playing against a couple of guys from that team – Connor Gillespie plays for the Fresno Grizzlies.”
From college ball, Banwart traveled to Vancouver for his first minor league team. Then it was a rapid ascent to single A ball in Illinois, before joining the Stockton Ports. Now he’s playing with the River Cats in AAA – and the difference in competition levels is huge. “In AAA you’re facing guys with a lot of big league time and they know how to hit up there and they’re not going to miss any pitches if you make a mistake,” he said. “That’s where you really got to make your pitches – and make every single one of them count.”
Banwart is hoping to make it to the next level – the Major Leagues. “I just got to keep pitching,” he told me. “That’s the only thing that’s going to get me there is to keep pitching,” and to show “consistency throughout the season.” Being just one step away from the Oakland A’s is “surreal”, said Banwart. “I realize the opportunity is right there and I just got to go get it.”
Several of his River Cats teammates have already had a taste of big league pitching – Kevin Kouzmanoff, Andy LaRoche and Adam Rosales to name just a few. Brad Kilby is also itching to get back to the Bigs. The 6’0″ pitcher grew up in Elk Grove and attended Laguna Creek High School before enrolling at San Jose State. He arrived in the Majors in September, 2009, when he took the mound for the Oakland Athletics in relief, against the Kansas City Royals – and like any rookie pitcher, he was very nervous.
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Interviewing Brad Kilby
But luckily Landon Powell was behind the plate for the Athletics that day. Kilby and Powell both played for the River Cats, so there was a comfort level there. Powell came to the mound to calm down the rookie and pointed out there were only 8,000 people in the stands. “You’re not nervous playing in front of this big crowd, are you?” Powell asked the pitcher. Kilby laughed and quickly settled down to retire the side.
Brad Kilby is now on a rehab assignment with the River Cats and is hoping to be back with the A’s one day. But in the meantime, Kilby – and Banwart know they are part of something special.
“We have a great group of guys,” Travis Banwart told me. “Everybody’s pulling for each other to get to the next level.”
