Freeland’s second education turning him into team’s most valuable pitcher
Jon Gray possesses more pure firepower and gets more strikeouts, while Chad Bettis pitches with a veteran’s wisdom. But a case can be made that Kyle Freeland could soon emerge as the Rockies’ most successful starting pitcher.
A cursory look at Freeland’s numbers might not suggest that. The left-hander is 4-5 with a 3.28 ERA over 10 starts. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find that Freeland:
• Has been Colorado’s best starter at Coors Field, going 2-1 with a 1.40 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in three starts.
• Has logged more innings (60L) than any pitcher on the staff and has pitched into the seventh inning in six consecutive games.
• Has a .655 OPS against him, the lowest of any Rockies starter.
But it’s more than raw statistics that suggest that Freeland, a 25year-old Denver native, will evolve into something special. Freeland is eminently teachable and a quick learner. Plus, he has made adjustments — such as al- tering his delivery — that continue to pay off.
“Kyle’s a good student,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “He
“The second half of last season was a battle. Other teams knew what my game plan was, so they were looking for pitches they wanted to hit. But now I know the hitters better and I know more about my game, too. I’m more confident.” Kyle Freeland, a second-year starter for the Rockies
listens to what the coaches, and credible people with experience, tell him. They can see some things in the future that Kyle must do to be successful. Kyle’s open to that. For Kyle’s part, there is foresight that lets him believe his (coaches) are probably right. But there is also a conviction in what he does, and a strong belief in himself.”
After his 2017 rookie season, Freeland knew he had to evolve if he was going to succeed.
“The second half of last season was a battle,” he said. “Other teams knew what my game plan was, so they were looking for pitches they wanted to hit. But now I know the hitters better and I know more about my game, too. I’m more confident.”
It’s not as if Freeland’s 2017 season was a bust. Far from it. He was 11-11 with a 4.10 ERA. He snuffed out the Los Angeles Dodgers in his big-league debut in Colorado’s home opener at Coors Field. On July 9, he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the White Sox.
His ERA was the fourth-lowest by a rookie in franchise history and the lowest since Jhoulys Chacin set the franchise record for rookies in 2010 with a 3.28 ERA. At Coors Field, Freeland finished 6-8 with a 3.72 ERA in 19 appearances, including 16 starts. That was the second-lowest home ERA by a rookie in team history, bettered only by Denny Stark’s mark of 3.21 in 2002.
But there were signs as the season dragged on that opposing batters were figuring him out. Prior to the all-star break, Freeland went 9-7 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.398 WHIP. After the break, he was 2-4 with a 4.81 ERA and 1.685 WHIP. Plus, he walked 63 batters over 156 innings, far too many to suit him or Black.
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when the baseball book on Freeland was published, but it just might have been June 23 at Dodgers Stadium. On that Friday night at Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers battered Freeland for four runs on seven hits in the first two innings. Freeland hung around for six innings in Colorado’s 6-1 loss, but the bottom line was not kind: five runs allowed on 10 hits, including three walks and a home run.
It was an eye-opener for Freeland, who had previously used his sinkerball to confound the Dodgers.
“They figured out how I was planning to pitch them,” Freeland said afterward. “It’s no secret I’m a sinker pitcher. And they hit my sinkers. They hit my mistakes and they hit ’em hard. But they saw my gameplan early and attacked it.”
Freeland took that lesson with him into the offseason and underwent a makeover.
Before his rookie season, Freeland had added a little stop and kick to his delivery. He dubbed it “the Kershaw pause,” after the similar motion used by Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. But this past winter, with the help of pitching coordinator Darryl Scott, Freeland ditched the hitch in his delivery.
“We tweaked my mechanics and kind of went back to the way I used to pitch,” Freeland said. “It feels more natural, and at the same time, I don’t get as tired throughout a game.
“We found out that by doing that pause at the bottom, it kind of de-loaded me and kind of robbed me of some of my power. Now I’m holding my weight load up higher and then driving directly down the mound and toward the plate. I’m controlling the zone better and throwing more strikes.”
Freeland also figured out that last year right-handed batters were camping out and waiting for his sinking fastball as it dived toward the outside of the plate.
“This year, I’ve concentrated on throwing a lot more to my glove side, trying to go inside on righties and make them more uncomfortable,” Freeland said, adding that he’s throwing more sliders and changeups than he did last season with the goal of becoming less predictable.
The results have been positive. Last season, right-handers hit .284 vs. Freeland with a .803 OPS. This season, they’re hitting .241 with a .681 OPS.
Against left-handers, Freeland has been nothing short of dominant. Opposing lefties have hit just .170.
Freeland’s other main goal this season is to reduce walks. He’s beginning to accomplish that goal, too. He’s averaging 3.13 walks per nine innings compared with 3.33 last season.
“I’m doing pretty well with all of my goals,” he said. “You can always get better, but I’m getting there. I still have to cut down on walks, but I’m getting there.”
Said Black: “Kyle has really been setting a good tone lately. He’s been really aggressively attacking the zone and establishing a good tempo.”
Black sees Freeland as a pitcher with a bright future, as long as Freeland continues his education.
“Kyle needs to continue work and grow and work between starts,” Black said. “He had a very solid overall rookie season, but now the trick is to continue it. But Kyle is talented, and if he makes his pitches each and every fifth day, he’s going to have success. Because he has a good arm and he has good stuff.”