Sandoval hopes key is emotional control
The pitcher has had his moments but wants more consistent success
TEMPE, ARIZ. » In the short time that Patrick Sandoval has been in the big leagues, he’s shown both impressive stuff and worrisome inconsistency.
He and Joe Maddon both believe they know exactly what separates one from the other.
“I know my stuff is more than good enough to compete in the big leagues,” the Angels’ left-hander said. “I just have to keep myself in check and let my stuff do the work, not my emotions.”
Maddon compared Sandoval to Jon Lester and James Shields in the sense that both of them also had troubles early in their careers when their emotions on the mound were out of control.
“I really believe this is something that he can get through, no question,” Maddon said of Sandoval. “As he
does, I’m eager to watch, because he could be that good.”
Sandoval, 24, has a 5.33 ERA in 76 innings over 19 big league games. The good moments have mostly been obscured by blowups.
Sandoval said when he was at his best in the minors, in 2018, he focused on his breathing on the mound, which helped him to slow down and concentrate.
He said that’s gotten away from him in the years since. That’s why he’s been working with Will Lenzner, the Angels mental skills coach, to clean that up.
“The most important thing is to get my breath,” Sandoval said. “When I’m on the mound, it settles me down.”
Sandoval said simply being in a game cranks up his adrenaline, and when things start to go the wrong direction for him, that turns up the intensity even further and he is even less in control.
“When things go wrong and you’re already excited, things don’t tend to go any better,” he said.
In his second outing of the spring on Friday, Sandoval walked the bases loaded before a double play helped him escape. Then he came back out for his second inning, and retired the side in order, with two strikeouts.
“You saw the difference,” Maddon said. “The big thing is just controlling his emotions.”
When Sandoval is in control, he has better command with his fastball, which allows him to get ahead in counts. That opens up more opportunity for his slider and changeup.
“The other stuff is among the best in the league, if you break down the slider and the changeup,” Maddon said. “The profile of those pitches is really high. Fastball command and really having a better understanding of what he wants to do per hitter, just know thyself, and the sky is the limit. He could be that
“When things go wrong and you’re already excited, things don’t tend to go any better.”
good.”
For now, Sandoval is likely to start the season being stretched out as a starter at the Angels alternate training site. If one of the top six starters gets hurt or is ineffective, Sandoval would be one of the first pitchers on the list to get the call.
They tried him in the bullpen late last season, but Maddon said it’s too early in Sandoval’s career to abandon hope of him being a starter. That’s Sandoval’s preference too.
“I’ve been brought up as a starter, and I want to remain a starter,” Sandoval said. “But at the same time, if I can help the team out of the bullpen, and there’s no place for me in the rotation, I just want to help the team however I can.”
Notes
Shohei Ohtani’s next start on the mound is scheduled for Saturday. However, the Angels also have Andrew Heaney scheduled to pitch that day, so one of them will pitch in the Cactus League game against the Chicago White Sox and one will pitch in a B game or intrasquad game. Maddon said they haven’t yet determined which way they’ll go ... Alex Cobb is scheduled to pitch on Wednesday, which would be a couple extra days off since his first start on March 1. Maddon said Cobb wanted some time to work on some things on the side. He is not hurt. ... Maddon said not to read anything into the lineup for Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, which had Ohtani hitting third, between Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon. Maddon said he prefers TroutRendon to hit back-to-back, regardless of whether that’s 2-3 or 3-4, and that Ohtani might only squeeze between them if Ohtani is “scorching hot.”