LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Two years ago, while working as a pharmaceutical representative in his native Australia, Peter Moylan and his friends found themselves scouring the Internet looking to devour any available information about baseball.

"I'd be on MLB.com keeping up with who was pitching," Moylan said. "We didn't get any blackouts in Australia, so I could watch any game that I wanted."

This past weekend, one of those friends sent Moylan an e-mail message that half-wittingly said, "Make sure you tell Chipper [Jones], [John Smoltz] and the boys that I said, 'Hello.'"

Considering where Moylan was last year at this time, it's rather miraculous that he actually does find himself in a position where he can offer a daily hello to Jones and Smoltz.

Just a year ago, Moylan came to the United States with the intention of enjoying a two-week stay with the Australian team that was competing in the World Baseball Classic. Considering he was a longshot to have even had that opportunity, there was no reason to believe his stay would be any longer.

But after dazzling scouts with the 95-mph fastball he was throwing from the sidearm position, Moylan found that he'd actually be away from his homeland for seven months.

During that seven-month period that he found himself shuttled back and forth from Atlanta to Triple-A Richmond, the 28-year-old Moylan found that a lasting spot on a Major League roster required him to be much more than just a hard-throwing sidewinder.

"I thought I was pitching," Moylan said. "But when you sit down with guys like Smoltz or Tim Hudson and actually talk about what you're doing, you find that you were basically just throwing."

While making the evolution from being a thrower to being a pitcher last year, Moylan learned some lessons the hard way. In 56 2/3 relief innings for Richmond, he posted a 6.35 ERA, registered 54 strikeouts and issued 38 walks.

In 15 relief innings for Atlanta, he posted a 4.80 ERA, allowed 18 hits, notched 15 strikeouts and issued just four walks. While the results might not have been great, they were impressive from the simple fact that he hadn't even developed this hard-throwing sidearm delivery until November 2005.

Moylan's progression was realized in September, when in six appearances for Atlanta, he worked 9 1/3 innings, allowed just two earned runs and limited opponents to a .200 batting average.

"For me, he's a difference maker," Triple-A pitching coach Guy Hansen said. "I think he's starting to realize how tough he is. He's for real."

Hansen wasn't in the organization last year. But while getting his first look at Moylan over the past couple of weeks, he's seen a pitcher who reminds him of Scott Sullivan, who was once considered one of the game's top right-handed setup men.

Like Sullivan, Moylan has developed a hard sinker that moves between 89-91 mph. It's a pitch that has allowed the Aussie to realize pitching isn't simply about overpowering your opponent.

"It's simple," Moylan said. "It's a lot easier than just revving back and trying to throw it by people."

During his first two Grapefruit League appearances this year, Moylan has worked three scoreless innings and surrendered just one hit. In addition, he has gained further comfort in seeking advice from veterans like Smoltz and Hudson.

"The first couple of times I was around them, it was really a shock," Moylan said. "I didn't know what to do or how to act. But as you get more and more comfortable with it, you realize they're just guys and they're not any different than me, except they make more money."

Moylan, who certainly has a good sense of humor, has also praised the advice he's received from Atlanta's pitching coach, Roger McDowell. Last week after throwing two sinkers to a left-handed batter, the developing hurler went back to his former way of thinking and thought it would be best to next throw a hard slider.

But McDowell quickly adjusted Moylan's mindset and instructed him to simply throw another sinker in hopes of getting yet another hitter to hit a harmless grounder. Had he thrown a slider, he'd have given the left-handed batter more time to react to a pitch that also had more probability of staying up in the hitter's zone.

"I think one way, but when I talk to Roger and some of the guys, I find that the smart way would be completely the opposite," Moylan said.

All indications are that Moylan will begin this season back in Richmond. But it also appears that he's destined to one day find a lasting spot on a Major League roster.

This day will come when he becomes completely comfortable with the fact that he doesn't have to provide maximum effort with every sidearm delivery.

"He's got so much from that angle that he doesn't need to make it any better," Hansen said. "He's actually a freak to be able to throw as hard as he does from that angle."