Relievers ready for Round 2
DUNEDIN, FLA. — Ryan Tepera and Danny Barnes both shouldered their fair share of weight in 2017, but the Blue Jays relievers diverged when it came to heavy lifting in the off-season.
After throwing a combined 143 innings last year — making them two of Toronto’s three most called upon names in the bullpen, with Dominic Leone in the middle — both Tepera and Barnes went into their downtime feeling good.
Fatigued, yes.
That was to be expected after breakout years where each recorded career-high workloads.
But they came away with nothing hurting, and a season’s worth of take-aways to apply to 2018.
For Tepera, that meant lots of weight lifting in an effort to gain a couple of pounds and improve his strength.
The 30-year-old, who cut down on the amount of work he did in warm-ups toward the end of last season to avoid putting more unnecessary strength on his body, started throwing a couple of weeks later than he normally would, midway through January instead of the first of the year.
In Barnes’s case, the 27-yearold tried to spend less time in the weight room, or avoid it altogether. He started throwing about the same time he did last year, but focused his time away from the mound on working with trainers, receiving more treatment rather than exerting himself.
He changed the workouts he did do, targeting exercises that would help improve shoulder stability and hip flexibility.
Though they went in different directions in terms of preparation, both Tepera and Barnes are hoping to produce the same result this year and show they’re more than just one-season wonders.
“I’d like to have a repeat season, if not better, as far as innings pitched and appearances,” said Tepera. “I’d like to be right there, like I was last year.”
Barnes is thinking along similar lines. “I’m still trying to establish myself,” he said.
“I’ve got something to prove. One good year, whether it was a fluke or not; I want to show that it’s not.”
To help ensure their longevity, both are working on adding new tricks to their trade.
Tepera, who is looking to cut down on the 31 walks he allowed last year, is trying out a third pitch, a changeup, that he hopes to be able pull out of his back pocket when needed this season.
It’s easier to work on when he isn’t competing for a job.
In 2017, Tepera didn’t find out he was on the Blue Jays’ 25-man opening day roster until the team was in Montreal for its final two games of spring training.
Barnes, started the year with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons; in his second big league camp, the adrenalin still pumps when he is on the mound, but the intensity of do-or-die spring games is no longer there.
“The difference between this year and last year, it’s definitely a lot less stressful so I was able to take a few more risks when I pitch and work on my slider a little bit more,” Barnes said.