The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dickey’s knuckleball in midseason form
Right-hander, 42, working on strength and endurance.
LAKELAND, FLA. — In his first outing of the spring, Braves right-hander R.A. Dickey’s signature pitch danced like it was July.
“I would take that knuckleball into the regular season right now,” Dickey said Monday after pitching two innings against the Tigers. “If it’s good, it’s good. It doesn’t matter when in the spring. Good ones are good ones. It’s just a matter of repeating that for 100 pitches.
“That’s the real goal for me in the spring is to build up my arm strength, get my endurance up and be able to repeat that mechanic for 100 pitches.”
Dickey faced a Tigers lineup full of regulars and held them to two hits and one earned run. Lead-off man Ian Kinsler hit a weak single off the bat near his hands. Two batters later, Miguel Cabrera poked a soft double to right field on an 0-2 pitch to score Kinsler.
Dickey said the soft contact was a good sign because it indicated that even knuckleballs that weren’t moving dramatically were still tough to hit solidly.
“You throw those big (breaking) ones, no one is hitting those. That’s just the way it is,” Dickey said. “If you throw a good one, it does that, it’s a great one. But it’s the other ones that matter to me. Am I getting soft contact? Both (Cabrera’s) hit and Ian’s hit were not well struck.”
Dickey walked Nicholas Castellanos to begin the second inning before retiring Alex Avila and Anthony Gose. Jose Iglesias reached base and Castellanos scored on an error by second baseman Travis Demeritte.
Catcher Kurt Suzuki handled Dickey’s knuckleball without major issues. He blocked a late-breaking pitch with Cabrera on second base and kept a third strike to Justin Upton in front of him after dropping it.
Dickey said he has worked with all three veteran catchers during spring camp: Suzuki, Tyler Flowers and Anthony Recker. He said that ideally, all three would take turns catching him during exhibition games and become accustomed to his knuckleball. That way, manager Brian Snitker will have flexibility with his lineups during the season.
“The hope is that everybody will be able to do it and I think they will be able to,” he said.
Dickey, 42, is in his 15th big-league season. The Braves signed him to a one-year contract with a team option for 2018.
Max Fried: ‘Feeling best I ever have’
Braves left-hander Max Fried said he was so focused on his job that he didn’t notice which Tigers batter would lead off the sixth inning until he heard the announcement over the stadium speakers:
“The first baseman, Miguel Cabrera!”
That’s Detroit’s feared slugger, a two-time AL MVP. By contrast Fried is a prospect who had yet to face major league hitting in a live game.
Fried got Cabrera to ground out. He got the same result against J.D. Martinez, another big bat. And he ended the inning by striking out Justin Upton, yet another accomplished slugger in Detroit’s powerful lineup.
It wasn’t an official game but it was a good Grapefruit League debut for Fried.
“That’s what you want to do,” Fried said. “These are the guys you want to face. For me, it was obviously a nice outing. I felt good. Everything is starting to click. My fastball command was really good. I couldn’t be happier.”
Fried is a former top prospect trying to make his way back from Tommy John elbow surgery in August 2014. The Braves acquired Fried as part of the haul they got for sending Upton to the Padres in December 2014. He sat out the 2015 season while mending.
Fried was the 2016 organizational pitcher of the year for the Braves. Against the Tigers, he showed off his big curveball and a fastball that reached 95 mph.
“Right now, at this point, I’m feeling the best I ever have as far as my location, my stuff,” he said. “I’m really trying to ride it into the season and not do too much, stay within myself.”
Fried finished 2016 at low Single-A Rome and figures to begin this season a step up the system. The Braves have a recent history of giving their pitching prospects quick promotions. If Fried continues to develop, it may not be long before he’s facing big-league hitters in official games.
“This has been one of my dreams, to face these guys,” Fried said.
“I’ve always seen these guys on TV growing up so being on the same field competing with them, it’s unbelievable.”