Oberholtzer likes it simple

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Brett Oberholtzer considers himself a simple man. He finds inspiration from his father, Fred, a leukemia survivor and corrections officer in Delaware. Usually, when Oberholtzer is done pitching, his father's words greet him in the clubhouse.

Those father-son text messages are Oberholtzer's most sophisticated communication with the outside world. And he's proud of that.

"I don't have any social media," Oberholtzer said. "I stay away from all that stuff. I'm a here-and-now type. If I get a text, that's technology for me. I don't have a laptop or anything. Apps, I've got a couple. Other than that . . . "

What about email?

"It's the same one I used since I was 12," Oberholtzer said.

Well, with one exception. He changed his email address from America Online to Gmail.

So Oberholtzer, 26, is not the typical millennial. The lefthanded pitcher, who has started in the majors but will relieve for the Phillies, grew up in New Castle, Del. The Braves drafted him in the eighth round in 2008, but it was hard to shake his roots as a Phillies fan. Going to games as a kid with his father formed his love of the game.

Acquired from Houston as part of the package for Ken Giles, Oberholtzer has not allowed a run in 92/3 innings this spring.

He sometimes hears from teammates about vitriolic missives sent their way through social media, and wonders why they even check the online buzz. The less he knows, Oberholtzer said, the better.

So he is fine with his outside feedback's being limited to his father's text messages.

"Going away from it for a while, you get clear-minded and really zone in on whatever your task is," Oberholtzer said. "That's been huge for me."

- Matt Gelb