"I've tried yoga," said the 22-year-old May. "It's just really hard finding a good instructor."
He will keep trying. Already, he said, it has enhanced not only his flexibility, but also his body control and mental strength.
"That's what I've always needed," said May, who walked 81 batters in 2010 and 67 more last season, his fourth after being selected by the Phillies in the fourth round in 2008.
His discipline and control might be lacking, but, certainly, May has plenty of talent.
He set the single-season strikeout record for Class A Clearwater, with 208, with three complete games, two shutouts and 151 1/3 innings. At 10-8 with a 3.63 earned-run average in 27 starts, May won the organization's Paul Owens Award as the top minor league pitcher and the distinction from Baseball America as the organization's top minor leaguer.
It was May's second stint at Clearwater; a run in 2010 was aborted after a rough start. He will start this season at Double A Reading, where, hopefully, he finds a peaceful studio and a dependable yogi.
The Phillies couldn't be happier.
"We have our programs we believe in, as far as strength and conditioning, and a psychological approach," said Benny Looper, the Phillies' assistant general manager in charge of player personnel. "Everybody's different, too. When they're introspective enough, when they're bright enough, to start figuring this out on their own, what's works best for them - and they rely on experts to get to that point, it has to be very encouraging."
May is not bashful about his hopes. In 2007, at age 22, Kyle Kendrick jumped to the majors from Double A and won 21 games in 2007 and 2008.
