PORTLAND – Mike MacDonald still seems genuinely surprised that anyone would want to interview him.

Even when a recent road trip with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats brought him back to his home state to play Portland, the Camden native wasn’t figuring on much hoopla since recent rainouts meant he wouldn’t even pitch against the Sea Dogs.

And yet, there they were: fans, autograph hounds, and people with microphones and cameras seeking him out.

When you’re the 16th pick in the 15th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball amateur draft and the 447th pick overall, the only expectations and pressure on you are your own, and that suits MacDonald just fine.

“I’m just doing a lot of learning from some of the older guys who have been around a lot longer than me,” MacDonald said. “I’m just trying to be a sponge and soak in everything I can. I’m looking to be more consistent and get a chance to move to the next level.”

It’s apparent fairly early in conversations with his coaches that they believe MacDonald will get that chance.

“I certainly think he has the potential to start, probably as a [No.] 3 or 4 guy, and the thing about Mike, too, is with his body type, he has the potential to get stronger and probably gain a few miles per hour on his fastball,” said Fisher Cats manager and former major leaguer Doug Davis. “I’m not going to say he’s Carl Pavano. He’s not that big, but he’s got that type of stuff.”

So far, MacDonald’s “stuff” has helped him go 4-3 with a 3.27 ERA in his first 10 Double-A starts while striking out 34 batters and walking seven in 55 innings.

“You take away one inning this year and he’s having a great year for us,” said New Hampshire pitching coach Dave LaRoche, a former big league starter. “We’ve taken him out a couple times with shutouts and he could probably have three complete-game shutouts if not for that.”

LaRoche sounds more like a fan of the 6-foot-1, 185-pound righthander than his coach.

“He works hard on everything. He’s just a great kid and a pleasure to be around,” he said. “You don’t have to do much. Just give him the ball and stay out of his way.”

Both LaRoche and Davis concede that the former University of Maine, Camden-Rockport High School, and American Legion standout hurler is still fairly raw and needs innings to become more consistent. They say he could also use more velocity on his fastball and more bulk/weight to help him add a couple of miles per hour to that velocity.

“He’s a control-type guy and a sinker-slider pitcher who’s very aggressive and goes after people,” said Davis. “He’s been fantastic this year, and for a first-year starter, especially at this level, to do the things he’s done is a testament to his hard work.”

MacDonald said the biggest difference between Single-A and Double-A is the hitters’ increased maturity and ability to make guys pay for mistake pitches.

“I’m just working on refining all my pitches,” MacDonald said. “Right now I have three or four pitches, but I throw a lot of sinkers when I need a big out.”

So after spending an abbreviated season playing at the short-season, Single-A level (2004) and a full season of Single-A, MacDonald appears to be making steady progress.

“He just needs to keep being consistent and work on his changeup a little more by taking a little bit of speed off it,” Davis said. “Right now he’s at the middle part of the process, right where you want him to be.”

Major league genes aren’t minor

Count New Hampshire Fisher Cats manager Doug Davis as a believer in pedigree.

One of Davis’ players, third baseman Brad Hassey, is the son of former major league catcher Ron Hassey, who logged 14 big league seasons, half of them with Cleveland.

Davis notices a slight difference between players whose dads played in the majors and others with little to no baseball lineage.

“Yeah, I think so,” he admitted. “I think they have an understanding of the game and they just know how to carry themselves and play the game the right way.”

That perception can cut both ways, however.

“I’m sure I expect a little more out of him because of that too,” Davis said with a laugh.

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1800-310-8600 or at aneff@bangordailynews.net