"That's what everybody's trying to do in Triple-A is try to get to that next level and help the team win," said Schwinden Tuesday after pregame workouts. "I'm happy to be here back in Fresno and it's going to be fun."
Currently a starting pitcher for the Las Vegas 51s, Schwinden has made seven appearances in the big leagues, six of them starts like his debut back in September of 2011.
"That was one of the greatest feelings that any ballplayer has," Schwinden said with a smile. "It was amazing."
But then the tables turned on Schwinden early in 2012. The Fresno Pacific grad stumbled through what he called "a string of bad luck."
"I had a lot of failure last year, bouncing around from organization to organization," admitted Schwinden. "A lot of bad things were running through my mind."
But in a way, he's grateful to have survived such a tough season.
"I'm glad, so if I hit that patch again I know how to learn from it and bounce back," said Schwinden. "It's a good thing."
Now the Golden West grad is more focused than ever to get back into the major leagues, and get that elusive first win.
"Control," Schwinden said without hesitation when asked what's the key to a major league return. "That's one of my strong suits in my game. And if I don't have that or lack that it's going to be a tough game. So I just have to remember to bear down and throw my game. And that's control."
The hometown kid giving Grizzlies fans a reason to cheer for the other team, or in this case pitcher, Wednesday night at Chukchansi Park.