Hennigan making things hard on foes, Phils brass
Left-hander has been stellar out of bullpen, posting 0.00 ERA
Seven pitches in the bullpen. Five pitches on the mound. Then Jonathan Hennigan is ready to go.
The IronPigs relief pitcher sticks to that superstition.
One thing that has changed this season, however, is that the lefthander is ready to go mentally as much as physically after his 12-pitch warm-up.
“I think the biggest thing is that I figured out myself and I’m able to trust my stuff,” Hennigan said. “I know what my stuff does now. I know how I pitch.”
Sinker. Slider. Change-up. Hennigan’s repertoire has not changed during his trek through the Phillies minor leagues. His mechanics, too, have been similar.
But the Phillies’ 21st-round pick in 2016 is enjoying considerably different results with the same arsenal.
After not pitching in 2020 because of the COVID-19 shutdown, Hennigan struggled mightily in his return to Double-A Reading in 2021. He was 0-3 with a 7.04 ERA and 1.88 WHIP in 32 games.
Despite a shortened spring training in 2022 and no previous Triple-A experience, Hennigan has been stellar so far with the IronPigs. He is 2-0 with a 0.92 WHIP, 0.00 ERA and a .125 batting average against in his last seven appearances.
All that with the same grips and delivery on the same three pitches.
“Just trusting who he is and trusting his stuff,” IronPigs pitching coach Cesar Ramos said. “A lot of times it takes some time for a player to understand and develop that.”
Ramos, a 37-year-old who spent parts of eight major league seasons with four teams, is a little more familiar with Hennigan because he was a left-hander who adapted to multiple roles and developed that trust to get lefties and righties out.
He believe Hennigan only needs to polish his stuff and follow the three ‘Cs’: Consistently pitch with confidence and conviction. “It takes a couple outings to really start believing,” Ramos said, “to think, ‘I don’t have to do more at this level. What I did at the previous level plays.’ I think a lot of that has shown on the field. It’s been fun to watch, fun to watch him grow.”
Hennigan has shown his Texas toughness throughout his pro career. He began his career with a solid short season in 2016 at Williamsport.
The Texas State product had a rocky first full season in 2017 at low-A Lakewood, finishing with a 9.24 ERA in his last seven outings, but then was solid at Lakewood, high-A Clearwater and the Arizona Fall League the following season.
Hennigan was solid to start 2019 in Clearwater before an up-and-down stint to finish in Double-A Reading.
His 2021 season in Reading was rough. Right-handed hitters batted .321 with 13 extra-base hits in 109 at-bats.
Hennigan has reversed those numbers so far this season. Lefthanded hitters are batting .185 with one extra-base hit. Righties are at just .138 with one extra-base hit.
It didn’t take Ramos long this spring to recognize that Hennigan’s stuff could play at this level and beyond.
“It’s just him knowing his delivery is hard enough to adjust to and he has velocity with plenty of movement,” Ramos said, “and taking advantage of that sinker against left-handed hitters. It’s uncomfortable to play catch with him, so imagine putting a bat in your hand and trying to hit it. It’s about the player understanding that, and I think it’s shown now that he’s a believer, taken off. Hopefully, he’ll be with somebody else real soon.”
Hennigan is one of a handful of IronPigs pitchers who has been consistently solid so far in 2022. Fellow relievers Mark Appel, Nick Duron and Tyler Cyr have good numbers. Connor Brogdon has been stellar since being sent down from the Phillies.
Lehigh Valley’s bullpen has a 4.39 ERA in large part because of those five guys.
The starters have a 6.84 ERA in 113 combined innings. Colton Eastman (3.42 ERA) has been
solid. veteran Michael Mariot has had several good outings and is stretched out to 90 pitches.
But the IronPigs are near the bottom of the 20-team International League. Ramos said he’s had conversations about trust with the staff.
“Just try to not be too fine,” Ramos said. “There’s a reason why [they are] here. Especially with all the data that’s out there, we target certain individuals for them to just trust their stuff in the strike zone.
“Early on, yes, we had some bumps with walks and control issues,” he said. “But as the appearances go up throughout the season, those numbers start to trend down and that’s a win for us.”