JUPITER, Fla. — Every time St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Adam Ottavino would toe the rubber to deliver a pitch there were so many thoughts buzzing between his ears. His arms needed to swing here. His hands needed to be placed there. His shoulder positioned this way. His foot sure that land that way. Not too far back on that back leg. Not too far forward on the release. Don’t do it that way. Be sure to do it this way.

He was consumed by every thought possible about what it took to deliver a pitch.

Every one except actually thinking about the pitch.

“I was a real mess,” Ottavino said. “Now, I’m just done playing that mental game.”

RHP Adam Ottavino, the Cardinals first-round pick in 2006, delivers a pitch Friday during his Live BP. (Photo: Chris Lee — P-D)

Ottavino has impressed the pitching coaches here at Roger Dean Stadium with how he’s come into camp with a simpler delivery, sharper pitches and a general calm and consistency that he hasn’t had since, well, really since the Cardinals picked in the first round of the 2006 draft. Roving pitching Dyar Miller called Friday’s round of live batting practice one of the most impressive days he’s seen at spring training, and the consensus around camp was that one of the pitchers that has consistently stood out is the one they’re all hoping will stand up and reclaim his spot as a prospect: Ottavino.

“This is the best I’ve ever seen him,” pitching coach Dave Duncan said Friday. “His delivery is really improving. The things he’s been working on are all coming together. You can see the benefits of a young pitcher gaining confidence from results.”

Ottavino stormed out of college with the reputation for wearing rose-colored sunglasses and throwing hard. The Cardinals also classified him as one of the pitchers who had ideal mechanics, even if they defied convention.

That didn’t last.

Ottavino described himself as “liberated” last spring training when he was invited to an early-spring workshop on pitching, one that stressed “natural mechanics” and showed the pitchers such signature deliveries as Sandy Koufax’s and such athletic mechanics as Bob Gibson’s. The Cardinals’ pitching advisers made some alterations to his mechanics and encouraged Ottavino to embrace some of his non-traditional swings and quirks. Ottavino immersed himself in the theory and started adopted all sorts of loose and comfortable mechanics. He also clouded his head with every thought possible but the act of making the pitch. He was devoured by thoughts of where his shoulders went and where his arms would swing and where his feet were going to land.

Forget about remembering to look at where the glove was or what location to target.

The numbers reflected that. Ottavino struggled in the first half of the season, and he finished 3-7 with a 5.23 ERA. He allowed 133 hits and 52 walks against 96 strikeouts in 115 1/3 innings. There wasn’t an aspect of his game that he didn’t struggle with.

“No question,” Ottavino said. “I was pretty down pretty deep that first half. I’ve never had anything like that happen to me. I was going out there hoping something right was going to happen. I needed something to go right to win and I was just hoping it would. I wasn’t myself for most of the season and only started feeling better the second half.

“I guess you’ve got to take a step back sometimes to step forward. I hope to take that step forward.”

He started by gaining some weight.

Ottavino entered spring training last year a rail, vastly slimmed down from his draft frame of just two years before. He said he weighed-in at 210, and that felt like he didn’t have much muscle to get through the spring. He said a combination of trying a new nutrition plan and food poisoning — the latter more than the former — contributed to significant weight loss. It made the entire season physically difficult to get through. This offseason he changed his nutrition, upped his workouts and reported to camp at 240. His frame has noticeably more packed on it, and he feels “just stronger” during his bullpen sessions.

Others are noticing. His fastball has more pep to it, better location.

Instead of the odd arm swing toward the moon that he test-drove last summer, he’s keeping his hands down, his mechanics simple and everything moving toward the plate. His delivery is natural, not overwrought. There’s no thought in his mind but putting that pitch on that target.

And that’s got a few officials thinking Ottavino might be the pitcher expected.

“He’ll never have complete confidence in himself until he has confidence he can execute pitches, and he’s starting look like he can do that,” Duncan said. “When you execute your pitches everything starts falling into place. You do less thinking because you have confidence you know what you’re capable of doing.”

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