Despite ’16 move to bullpen, Corbin confident he can deliver as a starter
The first words Patrick Corbin said during an interview last week were the same ones he’d repeat four more times in the span of about seven minutes. They were his way of shooting down the idea that his late-season move to the bullpen last year should somehow suggest what role he should fill this year. “I know I can start,” Corbin said. On this point – or on those related to it – he did not want to cede ground.
He didn’t seem to think his move to the bullpen was for the best, despite the way he seemingly was able to turn his season around.
He didn’t want the notion to exist that his arm might have been stronger late in the year because he was a reliever – didn’t want anyone to think he couldn’t handle a starter’s workload.
And he wasn’t about to say he had to prove himself this spring – or, at least, he wasn’t planning to do anything different as he goes about preparing for his fifth big-league season.
“I know I can start,” Corbin said. “I know I can do my job well. It’s really strange. You have a bad year, a bad 15, 20 starts, and people think you can’t do it again. I don’t think that. It’s a little weird coming in here now and everybody’s like, ‘Oh, are you a starter? A reliever?’ It is what it is. I know I can go out there and start and do well.”
A year ago, the Diamondbacks were eagerly anticipating Corbin’s first full season back from Tommy John surgery, the injury that stunted his sudden rise to prominence prior to the 2014 season. But things did not go according to plan.
Corbin had a 5.58 ERA through 24 starts when he was removed from the rotation in mid-August. His down year didn’t get the same attention as Shelby Miller’s or even Zack Greinke’s, but it likely was just as big a contributor to the team’s struggles.
And his potential turnaround might have just as much to do with the team’s hopes for contending this year.
“Right now, I feel really strong and good,” Corbin said. “Facing live hitters, I feel really confident with where I am at this point. The ball just feels like it’s coming out like it’s been before. The biggest thing was just working on fastball location and getting ahead of guys. I know I can do it. Just last year I didn’t as well.”
Manager Torey Lovullo said he’s watched all of Corbin’s throwing sessions and has seen “impressive stuff.”
“I’ve seen him also learning the importance of commanding the ball to both sides of the plate,” Lovullo said. “I think there are some things here we’re going to be able to do to help him open up both sides of the plate and create some different types of consistency.”
According to data available at BrooksBaseball.net, Corbin’s struggles last season were most pronounced when trying to go inside on right-handed hitters.
Corbin acknowledges there were times last season when his pitches didn’t seem to have the kind of bite on them he was used to, and he also found himself missing location more often than normal. It led to a walk rate that was about 70 percent higher than his career averages.
He says he allowed himself to start thinking too much about walks, which had the opposite effect than intended. Looking back, he thinks his delivery was slightly out of whack, and he thinks he’s pinpointed what he needs to do to be more consistent.
“Sometimes when you’re in the game, things speed up a little bit, which can make you miss your spot by a couple of inches,” he said. “That’s something I’m going to try to go into the game and stay under control and try to repeat my delivery as best I can.”
He also said he wants to be a bit smarter this year in terms of learning opposing hitters, and he says the club’s new pitching strategist, Dan Haren, and pitching coach Mike Butcher will be important resources for him.
“That’s a thing you always hear – the hitters make adjustments,” Corbin said. “I think the pitcher has to make some adjustments, too.”
Corbin wasn’t happy about being moved to the pen – “I was a little pissed off at that,” he said – but he made the best of it, posting a 2.70 ERA with just nine walks and 26 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings in relief. He finished the year with 13 consecutive scoreless innings.
As impressive as it was, it would be understandable if the Diamondbacks considered the idea of keeping him there, perhaps not wanting to mess with a good thing. Especially since they appear to have depth in the starting rotation and are light on reliable bullpen arms.
Corbin, though, doesn’t like the idea, and when Lovullo was asked if it might be tempting to do so, he said the team hasn’t considered it – not yet, at least.
“I know that he reluctantly went to the bullpen, from what I’ve been told,” Lovullo said. “He regrouped and did his job. We know that it helped him get to where he is right now. We haven’t gotten any further than point one, and that’s for him to compete as a starter. There’s really no other temptations at this point in time.”
Corbin thinks he would have gotten his season back on track even without the move to the bullpen. But does he think he has to prove himself this spring?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I feel like either way, I would do the exact same thing. I’m going to just try to work hard and get better and prepare myself for whenever my first start is. That’s how it’s always been.”