Estrada establishes elite status
World-class changeup has Blue Jays starter putting up impressive numbers
When young pitchers imagine themselves in the big leagues, how many, do you think, dream of inducing weak contact?
Chances are they want to be strikeout artists, dramatically punching batters out like Nolan Ryan or Clayton Kershaw. There’s little glamour in drawing out a series of piddly popups.
But perhaps Marco Estrada will change that.
The Blue Jays’ 32-year-old righthander is Major League Baseball’s reigning king of pop-ups. He leads the majors with the highest rate of infield fly balls, with more than18 per cent of batters he has faced this season having skied his pitches within the boundaries of the basepaths.
It’s a function of Estrada’s ability to pitch effectively in the upper part of the strike zone and his expertise at altering speeds thanks to a worldclass changeup.
Estrada has what is sometimes called a “rising” fastball, which gives the illusion to the hitter that it rises as it reaches the plate, but in reality is simply not sinking as much as an average pitch due to the amount of backspin he puts on the ball. In fact, both Estrada’s fastball and his changeup drop the least of any pitch in the majors, according to MLB’s pitch-tracking data.
Couple that with the fact Estrada throws his fastball and changeup with a10-m.p.h. separation, but identical arm action so hitters can’t tell them apart out of his hand, and you start to see how his understated style can still make for uncomfortable atbats for opposing hitters.
It’s a major reason why Estrada has been one of the best starting pitchers in the majors this season despite barely touching 90 m.p.h.
“He’s an ace,” said Devon Travis, the Jays second baseman. “I think that’s the biggest thing that gets misconstrued because he doesn’t throw 95 and he doesn’t have a bunch of flash to his pitches. “There’s zero flash to his game.” Despite the lack of pizzazz, Travis said he loves playing behind Estrada because of his even-keel demeanour on the mound.
“I told him the other day, ‘When I watch you pitch, that’s how I wish myself and everybody could play baseball.’ He’s out there having fun, he smiles. He gives up a home run, he comes in the dugout and he’s the exact same guy. After the game, same guy, whether he just threw seven (shutout) or gave up five runs — which I can’t remember the last time that happened.”
It’s happened just once this season — a month ago against Texas — but only four of the runs against were earned. That was the last time the Jays lost a game Estrada started.
Travis also appreciates the pace at which Estrada pitches.
“He’ll walk a guy and it’ll still feel like a quick inning because there’s no walking around the mound and thinking and taking deep breaths, it’s just, ‘OK, give me the ball back, put down the sign and I’m going to throw my pitch. If they hit it, congratulations.’
“As soon as that at-bat’s over he immediately moves on to the next pitch, the next at-bat.”
The Jays have won Estrada’s last five starts — dating back to that game in Texas — while his off-season signing for two years and $26 million (U.S.) looks more and more like a bargain.
He next takes the mound Wednesday in Philadelphia against Phillies’ right-hander Jeremy Hellickson.
“Every time he goes out there I know we have a very good chance to win,” Travis said.
“So it’s a very good feeling for this lineup when we see his name.”