Yardley’s change was for the better
MESA, Ariz. – Eric Yardley had great incentive to change his style of pitching.
When it's change or get kicked off your college team, you became a bit more willing to change.
Yardley, who is trying to win a job in the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen this spring, was a conventional right-hander when he began pitching at Seattle University in 2009. Then, between his sophomore and junior years, he got an eye-opening phone call from his coach.
“He said, ‘You need to change your arm slot. Otherwise, you're probably going to get cut,'” Yardley said. “So, my decision was made for me right there.”
Yardley, 29, had no vision of playing baseball professionally at that point but he did enjoy collegiate competition at Seattle, getting to play NCAA powerhouses such as Oregon State and Oregon. So, he began experimenting with different arm angles and found a sidearm delivery that worked for him.
How did the Washington native perfect that unusual delivery?
“Lots of repetition,” he said. “There were some coaches who helped but it was a feel thing for yourself. If you take something you've done for 19 years and then turn it on its end, it's going to be tough. It was me and a wall in the indoor facility at Seattle U., doing a lot of time and trying to figure out how to make this work.”
Yardley felt like a kid again, throwing the baseball against that wall for hours on end. When he progressed to facing batters, he realized he was on to something that made them uncomfortable, particularly right-handed hitters.
“It took me probably a year to get used to it,” he said. “Then, my senior year I started having some success. So, I said, ‘This could be fun.' At that time, I wasn't planning on playing professionally. I was planning on finishing college and moving on with my life. I was ready to start a career as a math teacher.”
Yardley wasn't quite ready to give up on baseball, however, so he drove 20 hours to New Mexico to pitch in the independent Pecos League in the spring of 2013. He played for the Taos Blizzard until that team folded and then for the Trinidad (Colorado) Triggers.
A San Diego scout who had seen Yardley in college convinced the Padres to sign him that summer. He performed well at every stop in the minors, posting a 2.90 ERA over 299 appearances, with 39 saves. Yardley finally made it to the major leagues last year, compiling a 2.31 ERA over 10 relief appearances in two late-season stints.
When the Padres designated Yardley for assignment in November to clear roster space, the Brewers claimed him with the intent of giving him a shot this spring to win a bullpen job.
“There's definitely opportunity here but also the fact that we were a playoff team the last two years and are going to be competing for the playoffs again,” said Yardley, who gave up a run on two hits in his first exhibition outing Monday against Oakland. “That's a different world than I was used to in San Diego. So, the opportunity is great.
“The goal always is win the World Series. It doesn't matter what your role is or where you are in the organization. The goal is to get to the World Series and see what you can do, and hopefully be a key piece of that. Spring training is the start of that.”
Brewers manager Craig Counsell often talks about the back stories of players who find ways to make it to the major leagues. When he saw Yardley pitch from a low arm slot, he figured somewhere along the way he adapted to a new style for survival.
“Yeah, no 12-year-old is throwing like that,” Counsell said. “Something has happened. The game has told him, probably, that it doesn't work from (a high arm slot), and so they were forced to do something different. There's always perseverance in that.
“Different looks are good. His arm angle is kind of designed to be really tough on right-handed hitters. That's what it's designed to do. I think we all feel really comfortable with Eric against righthanded hitters, so his challenge is getting out left-handers. He doesn't have to dominate them but he has to get them out.
“He's well aware of his challenges. He's got a really good story. He played independent baseball. He was a shortstop (in high school). He almost got cut from his college team. So it's a pretty good story."