NEW BOMBER MYSTERY MAN
Eovaldi is able to throw hard, but that’s all Yankees know
Nathan Eovaldi hit 101 mph on the radar gun in the first inning, to some oohs and aahs from fans who saw the number on the scoreboard. The new Yankee throws hard all right, and for his first start in pinstripes, he held his own against the Red Sox dynamic lineup.
Still, for a guy with Matt Harveylike heat, Eovaldi has been remarkably hittable during his career, making him something of a mystery to everyone from scouts to pitching coaches.
And not much changed in his American League debut. In 5.1 innings Eovaldi gave up eight hits, as well as several hard-hit outs, while racking up exactly one strikeout.
For that matter, the righthander got only three swings-and-misses on the 94 pitches he threw, 63 of them in the strike zone.
Nevertheless, when all was said and done, Eovaldi might have been in line for a win had the Yankees scored some runs early.
Alex Rodriguez is suddenly the No. 3 hitter, at least against a lefthander on Friday night, and who knows, maybe their best hitter at the moment. After his home run on Thursday he had two hits against the Sox, a hard single to center to drive in a run and double to the left-center gap in the 11th.
But whatever the offensive issues, Eovaldi’s case is fascinating. The Yankees traded to get him from the Marlins last December, and at the time, scouts’ opinions were dramatically different, something that spoke to the teasing talent of someone who routinely throws 97 mph yet gave up the most hits in the NL last season.
Some thought it was a mistake giving up a valuable everyday player such as Martin Prado as part of the trade for a pitcher who one scout called “a hard thrower who has no idea how to pitch.”
Others, however, thought Eovaldi’s potential made it a smart trade for the Yankees.
“There’s a lot to work with there,” another scout at the time. “He’s a young guy with time to figure it out. If they can get him to throw his secondary stuff — and command it — they could get lucky with him.
“It’s worth it for them because they need young arms, and he’s a guy who throws a lot of innings. Prado is a real solid player who can help you win, but I think the Yankees know they’re not winning anything (in 2015) anyway.”
That was then. A strong spring training in which Eovaldi relied more heavily on an off-speed splitter offered more reason to believe he’ll blossom as the Yankees envision, yet scouts remain divided.
“The splitter made a difference for him in the spring,” said one, “but I need to see him throw it when the heat is on — and command it, too. I’m not sold. Will he have the discipline not to go back to trying to throw the ball by ever ybody? ”
“I saw some growth in spring training),” said a scout with a countering opinion. “You have to see it when it counts, but the Yankees seemed to make it a point of emphasis, and he’s got a smart catcher (Brian McCann) who will make sure he uses his off-speed stuff.”
The Red Sox, who reloaded in the offseason, were a tough test, and Eovaldi did use his off-speed stuff, both a breaking ball and a splitter, enough to keep the Sox hitters honest, yet they still had an awful of good swings against him.
All of which recalls something pitching coach Larry Rothschild said early in spring training, when asked why Eovaldi gives up so many hits.
“He kind of defies some of the logic with the analysis,” Rothschild said, “as far as velocity and location and then giving up so many hits. There’s not any great explanation.”
Perhaps hitters just get a good look at the ball the way he delivers it. In any case, he’s still only 25 years old but he has been traded twice now, by the Dodgers when he was 22 and then the Marlins last winter. “The Dodgers loved his arm,” said one scout, “but they gave up on him because they thought he’d always just be a thrower. Same with the Marlins. You don’t trade an arm like that unless you’re convinced the light bulb isn’t going to go on for him.”
Eovaldi looked more like a pitcher on Friday night than perhaps he did in the National League, and it’s not like he got rocked.
But for a guy who hit 101 on the radar gun, well, the mystery lingers.