Nick Hagadone is focused on getting better all the time, a precise process he hopes will land him in the big leagues.

The 2004 product of Sumner High School has survived surgery on his left arm, was a key ingredient in a 2009 trade and has been promoted this season – all good news for a 24-year-old with a dream of pitching in a major league ballpark.

Hagadone has the tools that professional clubs drool over: good size (6-5, 230), a fastball that has topped out at 97 mph and a work ethic that has allowed him to master a third pitch since turning pro. He had the heater and a slider when he left the University of Washington, but has since added a changeup to his arsenal of pitches. All that has generated plenty of buzz around the Cleveland Indians organization that has the former Sumner Spartan under contract.

He was initially drafted by the Boston Red Sox and spent time in that organization, eventually being shut down with an injury that required the so-called Tommy John surgery. By all accounts, the procedure was a rousing success.

“My elbow’s back to normal,” Hagadone said Friday, speaking from Redding, Pa., one day after pitching three innings for the Akron Aeros. His Thursday night outing was stellar, as the lefty allowed only two hits and didn’t walk a batter in three innings of work. He was limited by a previously-imposed mandate that he would through no more than 50 pitches.

The Thursday contest was significant in that it marked Hagadone’s last game as a starting pitcher.

“No matter which organization you’re in, everyone is developed as a starter,” Hagadone said. After gaining some pro experience, teams figure out who remains in the starting rotation and who is better suited for a relief role.

Hagadone has known he was destined for a job in the bullpen and believes his frame of mind is better suited to relief.

“The mentality I have when I pitch is to give maximum effort and go right at people,” he said, clearly defining the mental makeup of a major league closer.

Hagadone admits he was surprised to learn he’d be in the Cleveland organization this year. No one in Boston had indicated he would be part of a trade package; in fact, the Red Sox had given the impression they wanted to keep the hard-throwing lefty. But baseball is a business, Hagadone realizes.

“I’m enjoying my time so far with the Indians,” he said, acknowledging there was personal satisfaction is being part of a trade package that sent all-star catcher Victor Martinez from Cleveland to Boston. It was clear Cleveland wanted Hagadone as part of the deal.

He began this season in Class A ball, playing for Cleveland’s entry in the Carolina League. His professional world took a leap forward when he was promoted to the Class AA club in Akron.

“You definitely notice the difference,” Hagadone said. Pitchers have to be more precise, he said, as hitters are more talented and show more discipline at the plate. Pitchers are helped by the quality of the defense behind them.

With six weeks remaining in his season, Hagadone is looking to improve and impress the Cleveland brass.

“I definitely have some stuff I need to work on,” he said. He’s constantly working to refine his pitching mechanics, a process that will allow him to consistently throw quality strikes.

One thing Hagadone isn’t focusing on is his professional status come the end of the season. He’ll be part of the Rule 5 draft, which means Cleveland will have to designate him as part of its 40-man roster or make him eligible to any other pro club that wants to claim him. Players who go unclaimed aren’t out in the cold, as they remain under contract with their original organization.

The procedure is designed to give a handful of players the opportunity to make the leap from the minor league to a big league club.

For now, Hagadone’s goal is to keep improving and get invited to a major league training camp in the spring. He’s been to spring training three seasons, but always on the minor league side of the operation. Everything is better on the major league side of the ledger, he said, and rightfully so.

To get there, he said, “I just try to keep improving, pitch well and hope I move up.”