Bull's had a rough ride in his debut

ATLANTA - The Bull, as Baseball America dubbed the former Burke County Bear, hardly seems all that fierce.

Jonathan Broxton is plenty big enough to fit the name - 6-foot-4, 275 pounds. His fastball is plenty mean enough - consistently topping out at 98 mph. His slider is downright wicked.

His demeanor, however, is hardly the kind that would send people running through the streets in his hometown Waynesboro, Ga.

After excusing himself to expel some of the Copenhagen juice that built up during a clubhouse interview, Broxton doesn't know quite how to take his brawny nickname.

"It's alright," he said of the moniker. "Whatever."

That casual attitude belies the excitement of Broxton's life these days. To say it has changed a lot since he turned 21 on June 16 would be an understatement.

First, Broxton was shifted to the bullpen for the Double-A Jacksonville Suns after three impressive minor-league seasons as a starter.

Then on June 28, he got the call he'd been waiting for from the home office in Los Angeles. The next night, Broxton pitched for the Dodgers.

To say this is where Broxton - the 60th pick overall in the second round of the 2002 draft - believed he would be by the time he was of legal drinking age would be accurate. To say he expected it would be something else.

"Right out of high school, I knew I had to throw good in the minor leagues just to get on the prospects list and move up from there," he said. "I didn't set a goal to be up here when I was 21. I didn't think about it too much because I needed to concentrate on what I was doing. I knew once it was time, it was time."

But in seven appearances, Broxton's stats haven't had as much pop as his fastball. In 6q innings, his ERA is 8.53 while allowing six hits and nine walks.

"I have a mechanical problem, but it will be fixed shortly," he said of what he calls his "walks trouble."

Broxton has been a little out of sorts ever since he stepped onto the big league mound. Facing the National League-best St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, Broxton was so pumped that his adrenaline messed with his normal rhythm.

"I was trying to overthrow and pick it up and now I'm trying to get out of it," he said.

On the flip side, he's struck out 12.

In his first appearance against his lifelong favorite team Wednesday at Turner Field, Broxton showed his strengths and weaknesses. Entering in the fifth inning after starter Odalis Perez had given up homers to Andruw Jones and Jeff Francoeur, Broxton gave up a hit and one earned run while walking three batters.

However, he also struck out the side with fastballs hitting 97 mph and a "slurve" that froze Jones for the final out with the bases loaded.

"He's cheating," quipped Jones. "In a good way."

Seriously, Broxton made a big first impression on the major league's home run leader.

"He's got some good stuff," Jones said. "Every big guy that throws in the upper 90s has got a chance."

Pitching in front of family and friends - including his fiance, Elizabeth Dixon, mother, Essie, and grandfather, J.C. Walden - Broxton insists nerves didn't get the best of him during his relief stint Wednesday.

"It was fun to get the chance to go out and pitch in front of some hometown people who haven't had the chance to see me play at the pro level," he said.

There are new things for Broxton to get used to in his new station. Chartered flights beat the minor-league bus trips, but the jet lag of bicoastal travel takes a toll even on the youngest of players.

He's pitched at least once in all seven series the Dodgers have played since his call-up, and the caliber of hitters he faces each time amazes him.

"In the minor leagues you only have to worry about three or four batters," he said. "Up here you have to worry about all of them."

On Jan. 14, 2006, Broxton will marry the hometown girl he fell in love with during the off-season. Until then, he hopes to grow more comfortable in his new professional role.

"I just need to go out and do what I'm capable of doing," he said.

In due time, he's capable of mean stuff worthy of the Bull.

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.