New A’s reliever Pagán adding to his repertoire
MESA, Ariz. — Baseball is a game of adjustments, as coaches say incessantly. And in that respect, A’s reliever Emilio Pagán is the ideal addition.
Pagán, 26, is always trying to improve his game, going to great lengths to do so. Some efforts already have paid off — he gained strength and stamina using Driveline’s pitching program — and he’s working on some new kinks in his repertoire for the upcoming season.
Pagán, who was obtained from the Mariners over the winter in exchange for infielder Ryon Healy, is spending the spring working on throwing his fastball inside to hitters more often, and he’s also relying on his changeup more after using it 2 percent of the time as a rookie last year.
The inside fastball has led to a few called strikeouts this spring, Pagán said, adding, “I think guys were just looking out over because I didn’t come in much last year. If I can continue to throw that pitch and make my slider better throwing it off that, that will be great.
“It’s not something I’ve done a lot — I’ve just got to get used to it. As a reliever, the cliche is ‘Don’t get beat in late.’ So I’ve kind of stayed away from it, but when I was more kind of a long guy in Seattle last year, I realized I would probably need it. If I can use it to go longer to help out the back of the bullpen, that would be ideal.”
Pagán was one of many pitchers who got a shot with Seattle last year when the Mariners were beset by injuries, and he grabbed the opportunity with such gusto, he impressed general manager Jerry DiPoto.
“We were so beaten up and Emilio wasn’t even in big-league spring training for us,” DiPoto said. “When he first came to the big leagues, he had nothing to lose. We were running multiple pitchers out there for multiple innings and letting them find themselves. He was never afraid: He threw strikes from the get-go.
“Emilio has a pretty analytical mind, he does a great job elevating his fastball, he knows why he’s doing it. He understands effective velocity. Every day he pitched, his slider got better and better, it really did.”
DiPoto couldn’t pass up a chance to get an everyday first baseman in Healy, but he said it hurt to trade Pagán, who struck out 56 batters in 501⁄3 innings. He walked only eight and became a favorite in the clubhouse.
“In a group that’s not unused to changing bodies, a lot of guys were crushed we traded Emilio,” DiPoto said. “He’s an unbelievable guy, a tremendous human being, he does all the right things. I said when we made that deal it was probably the most painful trade we’ve made, because of the person.”
Pagán draws similar raves from A’s personnel. Pitching coach Scott Emerson drove to see Pagán in Charlotte, N.C., this winter, specifically to watch the Driveline program — most recently in the public eye with Tim Lincecum’s comeback — in action.
“He’s passionate about his craft and he’s not afraid to take a risk,” Emerson said. “Sometimes when you do some of the things they do — the weighted balls, you take a little risk. It’s fun to see a guy take ownership of his career like that.”
One of Pagán’s college teammates works at Driveline in Kent, Wash., and got him started two years ago. “Growing up you always hear ‘weighted balls are bad for you,’ but I was on my way to being 26, and back in Double-A,” Pagán said. “For me, it was worth it. My shoulder’s never felt better. I see the benefits of it when it’s done right and people take the program seriously.”
Pagán’s velocity is up a tick and it’s much more consistent now.
“Coming up through the minors, I had days where I’d throw 96-97 mph, then I’d have days I was 90-91,” he said. “I see the top velocities more now, and my arm bounces back quicker, which is so important in the bullpen. It also cleaned up a lot of mechanical issues — I used to wrap my arm behind me too much, and you can’t do that with a weight in your hand. It’s a quick tool to find out where your body is and be in the right spot.”
One of Pagán’s college pitching coaches, Jason Burke, isn’t surprised that the reliever is gaining a reputation for always trying to improve himself. That’s what he did at Gardner Webb University in North Carolina.
“Emilio always wanted to do extra work,” said Burke, now the head coach at Lander University in South Carolina. “He showed up in my office every day asking, ‘What can I do to separate myself from everyone else?’ He’s relentless and he’s not slowing down at all — he’s always talking about new things he wants to do to get better. It’s great to see at that level. He’s never satisfied.”