Taking back control
Wanting more control, pitcher Steven Brault changes his delivery.
BRADENTON, Fla. — “Jagaloon” is not a word major leaguers frequently throw about, but its connotation helped Steven Brault illustrate why he made the changes he did to his offseason routine.
Brault led the Pirates in walks last season despite pitching only 91⅔ innings. During his exit interview, he told the team he planned to change his delivery, shortening it to make it less dependent on timing.
“Before, last year, when I was having problems throwing strikes, my idea in my head was, I need to return to when I used to throw strikes,” Brault said. “And then throughout this offseason, I realized, it’s not about going back to where I was. I have to become a better pitcher.”
Most pitchers stop throwing after the season and begin again a few months later. Brault had heard of three who didn’t: Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw and Jacob deGrom. Deciding that was a good place from which to start, Brault began a full offseason of throwing as he attempted to change his motion.
“When you start throwing again, you feel like a jagaloon for a little while,” he said. “This year, I actually wanted to work on stuff because my command was shoddy last year, so I wanted to make sure that I actually worked throughout the offseason to get rid of that.”
Brault shortened his stride and arm path, and raised his arm slot. He worked with former major leaguer Sergio Mitre and Conor Bierfeldt, his former teammate with the Baltimore Orioles, asking for feedback: “Was it the same?” The result is a more direct path to the plate, and, he hopes, a more repeatable delivery. “It feels good. It’s cool,” he said after a recent bullpen session. “Obviously, we’ll see when we start actually facing hitters, that’s when it matters. But, in general, my command is a lot better, fastball command especially is super important for me. and that’s been a lot better.”
Brault once again is in the mix for the final spot in the rotation, and, while the Pirates plan to have Jordan Lyles fill that spot, they say Brault and Nick Kingham are options as well. Two years ago, when Brault and Trevor Williams were up for a starting role, they lived together during spring training. This year, Brault and Kingham live together.
“The mentality I had before, that I’ve always had, is I want to make it a tough decision for them,” Brault said. “But one of my mentality changes this year is I want to make it an easy decision for them. I want to be the clear choice to be the starter going into the season.”
Singh returns to camp
Rinku Singh, one of two pitchers from India whom the Pirates signed after they won an Indian reality show, was at Pirate City Monday to see former teammates.
Singh, 30, is a pro wrestler now, competing on the NXT circuit, a developmental league for WWE. He won The Million Dollar Arm and caught the attention of Pirates scouts. He got as high as low-A West Virginia.