Mound Visit: Player adjustments to watch from spring training

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Spring training is a time for experimentation and testing out new ideas. Of course players are there to prepare for the start of the season, but after months of training in controlled environments, it’s their first chance to see if that new pitch or new swing can translate into a game setting.

That goes even more so when there’s playing time up for grabs, and there’s plenty of competition going on in Bradenton. A tweak in mechanics or approach could be the difference between a starting or bench job, or being part of the opening day roster.

Everyone is making these adjustments, but these are four in particular that are worth keeping an eye on going forward. These topics could be explored more in depth in the future, but for now, this is a first look at what’s new.

KEVIN NEWMAN’S NEW STANCE

After the pandemic shortened year and no minor-league season, this is going to be a big year for just about every player in the Pirates’ system. That said, this feels like a make or break year for Newman with the Pirates. He’s already in a competition for a starting spot, and Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero should both be ready for the majors next year. If he doesn’t bounce back this year, he may not get another chance.

The good news for him is he has gotten off to a terrific start. He’s driving the ball to left and right. Not bloops and bleeders, legitimate line drives. Even if it is just spring training, it feels like his first handful of games this year have seen him string together better at-bats than he did at any point last year.

His stance also looks different than last year, too. Here he is last September:

And from spring training 2021:

His hands are lower and a little closer to his body and he’s more upright in the box. The first changes should help his swing path, not having to swing down as much and creating more live drives rather than topped ground balls. The change in the stance could also help with balance.

Newman exited early Sunday with some left hamstring tightness. It was a precautionary move, but when he comes back, it looks like he’s working off a better hitting foundation.

MAX KRANICK IS LIVING OFF HIGH HEAT

I’ve profiled Kranick in-depth already, but Tuesday was the first time he got to show off those new mechanics and approach in a game setting since the revamp. 

And what we saw was a lot of high fastballs:

Yeah, there were more than a couple misses, but it’s going to be tough to a 97 mph fastball up there. It’s going to be even tougher if it spins at 2,500 RPM with high-90s efficiency, like he was measured at last summer. 

Just about every minor-league pitcher in the Pirates' system was given the same notes about pitching down in the zone, but that doesn’t work well for guys who rely on the four-seamer. So while Kranick is the guy being singled out here, let’s see if other pitchers with high fastball spin rates follow the same path. Michael Burrows, Steven Jennings, Santiago Florez. With the Pirates focusing more on pitch tunneling, this has potential to be a real shift in player development.

To conclude by going back to Kranick, the Pirates picked up a couple starters who are already on the roster via trade this offseason, so Kranick’s odds of making the majors this year took a hit. It could still happen, and Kranick has the potential to stick as a starter in the majors. Making that high fastball work would really help his case.

BLAKE CEDERLIND IS GETTING MORE DROP

Cederlind has a wicked power sinker that propelled him onto the roster and into the majors last year, but very, very few can thrive on just one pitch alone. He needs a breaking ball, and last year, that offering just broke one way:

It got a lot of horizontal movement, but that’s it. Only horizontal, nothing vertical. That’s a good tool for running away from right-handed hitters, but it was mostly a chase pitch. It rarely went to his hand side and it would fall off the plate. Good for getting whiffs, but not for getting outs.

Now here’s a 2021 breaking pitch:

Hey, some vertical drop on a pitch located to his hand side.

“Last year, it was more of a cutter,” Cederlind said, talking about his breaking pitch. “This year, you’re going to see more of a slider from me. So it should be easier to put guys away.”

Cederlind isn’t going to get a ton of strikeouts with his sinker because that’s just not what the pitch was designed for. He’s going to have to rely on his breaking ball for punch outs, and that vertical movement should help not only get whiffs, but also some more called strikes in the zone. Not to mention he can throw left-handers a breaking ball that won’t be breaking into either the middle or inner-third of the plate.

TONY WOLTERS AND THE LOW STRIKE

Wolters has already had a blurb about him in a recent Mound Visit, so consider this a follow up. Shelton said the Pirates are looking for, above all else, “consistency” out of the backup catcher position, and Wolters really hasn’t been that recently. The problem isn't necessarily at the plate, though he hasn't well in his career, but behind it.

He was once one of the best pitch framers in baseball, but he’s had a harder time stealing strikes of late, especially the low strike. 

Getting some looks at him this spring, his framing motion looks smoother than it did a year ago:

And it’s applying into game situations:

This isn’t an issue like Wolters setting a later target, like I theorized in that first Mound Visit, or anything else. It’s just, as bullpen catcher Jordan Comadena put it, “rippin.” Perhaps this doesn't count as a true change or adjustment, but it does look like the low strike could be a strength again for Wolters.

Ultimately, Wolters’ future with the Pirates may came down to how many players they want to expose to waivers to add the non-roster players, but right now, we’re starting to see a bit of those old framing skills return.