Mason Palmer was getting too tall.
As Palmer’s love for baseball — and his pitching prowess — blossomed, he practiced nonstop in his basement. Over and over again, he threw a foam ball against the wood-paneled walls.
But as Palmer grew to his current height of 6 feet, 3 inches, his hand practically scraped the ceiling.
“I’ve thrown so many balls down there,” he said. “As I got taller, I had to keep lowering my arm slot to make sure I didn’t hit the roof.”
So Palmer, a Warren junior right-hander, pitches from one of the most unique arm slots in the area.
“His arm slot is probably 90 degrees,” Warren assistant Clay Kovac said. “It’s like if you stick your arm straight out. It’s unique compared to a lot of other pitchers in high school.”
Warren coach Clint Smothers agrees.
“You don’t see a lot of people that throw that way,” Smothers said. “When it’s on, his ball is moving very tough.”
Palmer’s style sticks out, and so do his results. Anchoring the bullpen for the Blue Devils (19-9, 9-5), who were in contention for the North Suburban Conference title until this week, he has posted a dazzling 0.48 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 29 innings. He has also picked off four base runners.
Palmer has more polish and moxie this season — plus, quite a few extra miles per hour. During the offseason, his fastball velocity jumped from the upper 70s to the mid-80s, topping out at 84.9.
“I used to be more reliant on my breaking ball,” he said. “So adding velo has been nice. It’s made the fastball more effective, and I think it’s helped with the breaking ball too.”
These days, velocity pays the bills in baseball. But perhaps Palmer’s biggest development has been mastering the art of pitching. He is Warren’s go-to stopper out of the bullpen.
“He could come in with the bases loaded, and he doesn’t worry about it,” Smothers said. “He never gets flustered.”
When Palmer jumped to the varsity team last season, he had to approach at-bats more thoughtfully. His pitching coach noticed.
“He had to learn how to actually pitch,” Kovac said. “He was pitching against guys two or three years older. He couldn’t just go strike everybody out. He’s learned that sometimes we have to get an out in three pitches or less.”
Palmer’s potential was clear to Kovac and Smothers when he pitched at a few of Warren’s open gyms as a freshman. But at first he was a silent mystery.
“He was very, very quiet,” Smothers said. “He didn’t talk much at all. He was always by himself.”
But Palmer was a sight to behold.
“This kid was throwing, and we didn’t know his name,” Kovac said. “We didn’t really know anything about him. Then, all of a sudden, his arm dropped down. His ball moved like a foot. I was like, ‘This kid is gonna be good.’
“He was still growing into his body, but there was definitely a lot of potential.”
Palmer isn’t done developing, but he has emerged as a centerpiece for the Blue Devils, who are seeded second in a Class 4A sectional and will play either 15th-seeded Wheeling or 18th-seeded Zion-Benton in the Palatine Regional semifinals at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
“Everybody’s embraced him,” Smothers said. “It’s been great to see him grow and mature. All of his teammates love him.”
They call Palmer “Squid.”
“One day, I was at my baseball gym, and I was about to throw,” Palmer said. “I forget who exactly, but somebody pointed out that my voice sounds like Squidward from ‘SpongeBob.’
“Originally, I was like, ‘No, let’s not do that.’ But then it just stuck. I mean, what are you gonna do?”
Palmer has come to embrace the moniker — to a point. He rocks a pair of turquoise Squidward Crocs with his game-day outfit when Warren hits the road. The footwear features “Squidward’s iconic bulbous nose, disapproving frown, and nautical touches,” according to the brand.
“I’m scared that the nose is gonna fall off,” Palmer said. “So I’m careful with them.”
Whatever you call him, Palmer’s talent on the mound is undeniable.
“He’s one of the better kids I’ve ever coached,” Kovac said. “He’s not a sometimes guy. He’s an all-the-time guy.”
Sam Brief is a freelance reporter.
