Last winter, Brian Pettway came to an intriguing crossroads in his professional baseball career.

He could continue on his current path, that of an outfielder, and face a long and difficult climb to the major leagues. There were plenty of talented players ahead of him in the Toronto Blue Jays’ organization and it might be a long time – if ever – before he made it to the big show.

Option No. 2 also held risks. The Blue Jays, seeing the glut of outfield talent, wanted to turn Pettway into a pitcher. He’d thrown a few innings here and there in college at Ole Miss, but hadn’t done it on a regular basis since his high school days at Warren Central. Pettway still had a lively arm, but reinventing himself at this stage was far from a sure thing.

For a former third-round draft pick who had made his mark as a hitter – he had a school-record 28-game hitting streak and won the 2005 Cellular South Ferriss Trophy at Ole Miss, and hit 16 home runs at Class A Lansing last season – it was a big decision. But the more Pettway thought about it, the clearer the choice became.

“The organization called me in December and asked what I felt about switching over. They gave me a choice and I said, ‘Why not?'” Pettway said. “Our organization is stacked in the outfield and it’s hard to move up. It might be a way to move to the big leagues a little quicker. It was more they did not want to put my career on hold because I’m not moving anywhere. If a pitcher does well he can jump up a level in a hurry.”

That’s exactly what Pettway did. After a strong start at mid-level A ball, he got a call up to high-A Dunedin of the Florida State League. It’s still a long way from the majors, but he’s off to a good start at his new position.

So far, in 22 relief appearances this season at Lansing and Dunedin, Pettway is 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA, with 17 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings. In his last four outings with Dunedin, a span of 17 1/3 innings Pettway has allowed 10 earned runs. He hasn’t pitched since June 19 because of soreness in his arm.

Pettway said his years as a hitter have helped him make a smoother transition to pitching.

“I try to remember the things I’ve been looking for as a hitter, and throw the opposite,” Pettway said. “I think it’s locating my fastball, in and out, keeping the ball down. That’s the key that I learned from hitting in college and pro ball. If you keep it down, you can be successful.”

Other parts of the switch have taken some getting used to, he added. Little things, like not taking batting practice every day and throwing a few dozen times instead of just a few, seemed strange at first.

“Just getting the arm back in shape. Outfield, you throw three or four balls every day and you’re throwing as hard as you can if you’re trying to throw to the plate. Pitching, you have to pace yourself a little more,” Pettway said.

Learning to pace himself over the course of a full season will be Pettway’s biggest challenge, and the one that will make or break his career.

He hopes to get a shot at the Double-A level next season, while learning the finer points of pitching to professional hitters this year.

“It’s probably going to be next year,” he said of a potential promotion. “Right now I’ve got to continue what I’m doing and being successful. Location and making sure I can go a full season.”