Graveman pleased with results of his first test of camp
GLENDALE, ARIZ. >> A majority of A’s pitchers find themselves in a battle this spring to determine who will make the starting rotation and 25-man roster in general. Kendall Graveman is not one of those pitchers.
Expected to be the A’s Opening Day starter, Graveman, 27, uses spring training like a scientist uses a laboratory to experiment with the different facets of his game. Monday’s 7-6 loss to the White Sox was his first chance to step inside the lab.
On a pitch count of 35, Graveman put in two innings of work, allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts.
He displayed good velocity with his fastball clocked around 94-96 mph and featured a cutter, changeup, and breaking ball in his outing that went just over the pitch limit at 37.
“Fastball was coming out good. I thought it had good life. Cutter was good and I need to locate the breaking ball a little better,” Graveman said. “Two of the hits came on the breaking ball in the zone. And the changeup was very good to the lefties. All in all, pretty happy. I felt great.”
The breaking ball is the biggest project Graveman is working on this spring. It’s a pitch he worked on integrating into his arsenal toward the end of last season and is looking to get a better feel for it heading into the upcoming season.
Graveman recalled a situation in the first inning where he threw the breaking ball looking for a strike in a 3-2 count to get a good read on how far along he is with it. The pitch resulted in a single to left field, but Graveman was able to throw a fastball down in the zone to the next batter and induced an inningending double play.
It’s a situation Graveman said he would not likely replicate in the regular season, but spring training provides a nice testing ground for it.
“It doesn’t come as natural as the fastball to me, so just locating that I think is one of the things moving forward that we’re gonna have to do,” Graveman said. “I’d like to be able to balance it and change speeds. One thing I look forward to, especially in the bullpens, is to really focus on the location of that pitch.”
One pitch Graveman already knows he plans to experiment more with his next time out is the changeup. He said he did not throw it once to righthanded hitters Monday.
“I didn’t feel like there was an opportunity today to kind of get into that sequence, especially with only 35 pitches,” Graveman said. “Of course it looks good in the bullpen and on paper it looks good to all these lefties, but I don’t know how it looks to righties. To be able to go out there and throw it for strikes is something that I’m going to be able to figure out as we move forward this spring.”
• Matt Chapman and Jorge Mateo’s first spring game may be coming soon.
Chapman, the starting third baseman who has been kept out of any throwing and hitting activities since receiving a cortisone shot to relieve inflammation on his right hand last Thursday, finally engaged in throwing Monday morning.
Manager Bob Melvin said the last step is batting practice, which Chapman is expected to take part in the next couple of days.
Top prospect Jorge Mateo has been taking part in running programs as he recovers from a knee injury. Mateo told Bay Area News Group he expects to play at some point this week, but Melvin said the final decision lies in the hands of trainer Nick Paparesta.