BRADENTON, Fla. — When Tyler Glasnow thought it couldn't get any worse last June, when his fastball velocity dipped and his confidence disappeared, he looked back at what sparked his ascent from fifth-round pick to top prospect.
Glasnow, the Pirates' 6-foot-8 right-hander, watched game video from as far back as his time in High-A Bradenton in 2014, when he finished second in the Florida State League with 157 strikeouts. He wasn't paying much attention to which pitches he threw or even the outcome of an at-bat.
Instead, he kept his eyes locked on his delivery, the same one he used at William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita, Calif. before the Pirates drafted him in 2011. Somewhere along the way, Glasnow lost that compact, quick delivery that allowed him to command his four-seam fastball.
Although Glasnow was demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis days after his video study, his research provided him with the answer to why his fastball didn't burn and why his curveball didn't bite, and he showed it made a difference in September when he was recalled by the Pirates, who lost to the Yankees, 4-1, in the spring home opener at LECOM Park on Saturday afternoon.
Although he's on the outside of the Pirates' rotation plans this spring, Glasnow, who is expected to start Sunday’s game against Detroit, is firm in his belief that a breakthrough is near, and he's willing to prove it in the bullpen once the club heads north for opening day.
"It’s out of my control at this point," Glasnow told DKPittsburghSports.com. "If they want me to be a starter, I’ll be a starter. If they want me to be a reliever, I’ll be a reliever. By no means am I ready to give up on starting. I know I have a lot of potential. I know how good I can be."
Yet, it took only 12 starts at the beginning of last season for Glasnow to forget how good he can be. That's when he had a 7.45 ERA, a WHIP close to 2, a .373 BABIP, 50 strikeouts and 29 walks in 54 1/3 innings, leading to his demotion to Triple-A in June.
However, when Glasnow was informed of that decision during a meeting with Clint Hurdle and Neal Huntington, he already knew how he'd utilize his time back in Indianapolis. Glasnow had felt uncomfortable on the mound since the start of spring training, when he had a 6.23 ERA in 17 1/3 innings.
"It's kind of hard to fix in the middle of the season when you’re in the rotation," Glasnow explained. "I told myself, 'Dude, it really can’t get any worse than this. You went up and pitched nothing like I know how I can pitch.'"
Glasnow would often worry about his delivery during games, focusing on perfecting every sequence rather than executing his pitches. His delivery was far too slow, forcing him to break late when releasing the ball towards home plate.
He met with pitching coach Ray Searage with a plan, yet it was difficult to implement while he was fighting to retain his spot in the major league rotation. Going back to Triple-A allowed him the time to make those changes under the watchful eye of Indians pitching coach Stan Kyles.
"He didn’t know how to do it," Searage said. "This was the first time he was in the big leagues. Nobody can understand what you’re gong through unless they’re in your shoes. He wants to be perfect. No, you can’t be. That’s what I tell these guys. Don’t try to pitch with a yardstick, to make every line straight. ... If you’re going out there thinking about what you’re doing on that bump as opposed to where you want to throw it down here, so your focus is out there and it’s not over here, then how the hell are you going to get him out?"
Glasnow was able to follow that logic in Triple-A. In 15 starts, he had a 1.93 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP in 93 1/3 innings. He averaged 13.5 strikeouts and only 3.1 walks per nine innings. More important, with that quicker delivery, Glasnow's fastball velocity spiked back up to 97 and his curveball had more vertical break.
That arsenal was similar to what he had in Triple-A in 2016 when he was named the International League Pitcher of the Year, and he brought it back with him once he was recalled back to the major leagues last September.
The results were as ugly as before. Glasnow allowed eight earned runs with six strikeouts and five walks in 7 2/3 innings — including one start — however, his fastball velocity averaged 97 mph and his curveball had an additional inch of break from the start of the season.
"You noticed he was really aggressive, velo jumped right back up," Jacob Stallings, who caught Glasnow at Triple-A last season, said. "His stuff looks awesome now. You hear guys talk about that time it just clicks. I think when that happens for him it could be [big]. His potential is obviously through the roof. He’s going to be a stud."
Last season, the Pirates were willing to insert Glasnow into the rotation, despite his spring struggles. That won't be the case this time, though. Joe Musgrove, acquired from the Astros in the Gerrit Cole trade, was given the final spot in the rotation.
If Musgrove is injured or falters, Glasnow would also face competition from Steven Brault. But Searage is of the opinion that a bullpen spot would be beneficial for both Glasnow's development and the Pirates' needs this season. The average start dropped from 6 innings to 5.5 over the past three seasons, creating a need for clubs to have relievers who can pitch multiple innings.
Searage, echoing previous statements by Hurdle and Huntington, said it would benefit pitchers such as Glasnow and Brault to serve an apprenticeship in the major leagues since they have nothing left to prove in the minor leagues.
"I don’t want to step on toes, I don’t want to talk for Clint or Neal, but my opinion is when you have young kids coming up and if they’re not starter depth or there’s more of a need in the bullpen, then the young kids are better suited in the bullpen because you can help them develop and learn to pitch in the big leagues out of the bullpen," Searage said. "They carry that over to the rotation whenever they have to make a spot start or they get in the rotation. That’s the way we’ve done it when I was growing up."
Glasnow could be a better fit for a bullpen role. He's a three-pitch pitcher — fastball, sinker, curveball — who has struggled to effectively implement a changeup, which is why Searage proclaimed Glasnow is very much a work in progress.
But it's the mental aspect of pitching that Glasnow needs to improve, Searage said. The former top prospect's search for perfection often leads to an overwhelming sense of disappointment when adversity strikes on the mound. Searage wants Glasnow to keep it simple.
And Glasnow expressed confidence that reflecting on his past will forge a far brighter future.
"Where I’m at right now is light years ahead of where I was at the beginning of last year," Glasnow said. "Now it's time to put it all together."
GAME NOTES
• Gregory Polanco, receiving his first start of the spring, hit a solo home run to right on a 3-0 count in the fifth inning off Dillon Tate, tying the score 1-1. Polanco went 2 for 3 with a strikeout and stranded one runner on base.
• Right-hander Nick Kingham, who reached Triple-A last season during his return from Tommy John surgery, started for the Pirates and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out Tyler Wade and Estevan Florial.
Other Pirate hurlers included Clay Holmes, Sean Keselica, Michael Feliz, Kyle Crick, Jordan Milbrath and Richard Rodriguez, a minor-league free agent who allowed a three-run homer to Billy McKinney in the top of the ninth inning.
• Feliz, a right-handed reliever acquired from the Astros in the Cole trade, struck out the side in the fifth inning. Crick, a right-handed reliever acquired in the Andrew McCutchen trade, allowed a two-out triple to Florial in the sixth, but he got Jorge Saez to line out to Bryan Reynolds in right to end the inning.
• The starting lineup also included Josh Harrison, Starling Marte, David Freese, Jordy Mercer, Sean Rodriguez, Bryce Brentz and Ryan Lavarnway. Rodriguez went 1 for 2 with a double.
• The Pirates will play the Tigers in Lakeland on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Brault, Josh Smoker, A.J. Schugel, Edgar Santana and John Stilson are also expected to pitch.
