BRADENTON, Fla. -- "This is getting into real baseball talk."
Hey, after a winter away, that's music to my ears, Chris Stratton.
Stratton is coming to Bradenton this spring with something to prove, and in search of some stability. Last year he spent all of his spring in Giants camp, but he was traded to the Angels in late March (for Williams Jerez, ironically, another pitcher in Pirates camp this year).
That change so close to the start of the season wasn't good for him. He was hit hard in his five starts and two relief appearances and was designated for assignment in early May. As he was leaving, Angels pitching coach Doug White told Stratton, "I really wish I had you all spring training."
I'll get to why in a bit. But first, a quick detour.
Jason Rollison wrote about Stratton in August, showing how his high-spin pitches were able to complement and tunnel off each other. Jason was thorough, which is why this Mound Visit is a little shorter than normal. If you can only read one Stratton article, read his. (But hey, you got this far in this story, so you may as well read both.)
Stratton gets a ridiculous amount of spin on all of his stuff. Last year, his curve averaged a spin rate of 3,107 rotations per minute (rpm), the sixth most in baseball. His slider averaged 2,922 rpm, the 15th best in baseball. His fastball ranks in the top 7% league wide and averages over 2,500 rpm.
One high-spin breaking pitch makes you a threat. A second makes you a freak. Last year, four pitchers had multiple pitches average a spin rate of at least 2,900: Garrett Richards, Dillon Maples, Lucas Sims and Stratton. Four. Out of 831 pitchers.
"I think being able to use all my spin is the best route," Stratton was telling me about how he uses his breaking pitches. "I'm definitely using slider and curveball and just trying to find which fastballs best play off that. Throw it high, throw it low."
But Stratton's high spin rate is only part of the story. He went into 2019 with really good spin, but he increased it as the season progressed, especially on his slider.
3000 rpm on a slider is rare air, up in Kyle Crick territory. Per Baseball Savant, last season, the league had a .217 batting average and .380 slugging percentage against sliders. When the slider had a spin rate of at least 3000 rpm, the league hit .188 with a .314 slugging. More spin doesn't always mean better results on an individual basis, but it usually does on a macro scale.
That spin was a big reason for Stratton's better results with Pittsburgh, too. He had a 3.66 ERA with a 23.5% strikeout rate, making him a good middle relief option. As the season progressed, he got a couple looks late in games, too.
There were a couple factors that went into Stratton's success as a reliever. The first is obvious: He was out of the rotation. While he still kept a four pitch mix rather than opting for just two, he didn't have to face lefties as often and didn't have to make multiple trips through the order. He also started pitching exclusively from the stretch, which he will do again in 2020.
But then there was that third thing. What the real "baseball talk" was about. After the Angels traded for him, their pitching coach, White, told Stratton he was coming off the rubber too soon during his delivery. He was getting on his toe too quick when pushing off the rubber rather than staying on the inside part of his foot, causing him to be too rotational and not as direct, wasting potential energy.
"I wasn't getting enough drive on my pitches," Stratton said. "The perception of how it looked, it didn't look like it was driven through there. It was more just getting there."
Part of Stratton's shortcomings with the Angels was he was trying to change his delivery. There have been some uncomplimentary things written about Ray Searage this last week, especially when compared to the new regime, but when Stratton came to Pittsburgh, he encouraged him to keep working on what he started in Anaheim. Eventually, he improved.
This is where I would normally post a gif, but it's very hard to spot from broadcast cameras. (If anybody wants to go over the video and see if they can see something that I'm not, here are all of his pitches with the Giants in 2018, all of his pitches with the Angels and all of his pitches with the Pirates.) Some teams put pressure plates on the rubber to show where the pitchers. The Pirates do not have these plates, but if they do, Stratton would love to try it out and see what it says.
White's advice worked out, and Stratton now has elite spin and better results. A former first round pick, Stratton seems to have finally found a groove in the majors after eight years as a professional. Or as he put it when talking about making that delivery change, "It just took me awhile to get there."
Stats and graphics courtesy of Baseball Savant and Baseball-Reference.
MORE MOUND VISIT
Feb. 5: Getting most out of middle infield?
Jan. 31: Can Bryan Reynolds play center?
Jan. 29: Five outfielders to replace Marte
Jan. 16: Is Moran’s glove hopeless?
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