This is the first of five posts where Trenton Thunder pitching coach Scott Aldred breaks down the starting rotation, pitcher-by-pitcher.
Scott isn’t the easiest guy to track down, but he took a break from looking at video of his pitchers just to give me a few minutes. So this won’t be as in-depth as I think some of you might want, but hopefully this provides some answers to any specific questions you may have.
Up first is Chase Wright, who’s 2-1 in his first three starts with a 2.12 ERA.
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TT: Let’s start off with Chase Wright. What have you noticed about him, and what have you guys been working on?
SA: “Chase is a great pitch guy, (we’re) really working on getting his breaking ball serviceable so it becomes a Major League pitch for him. The other stuff’s there, the sink on the ball. Changeup, split. We’re just working breaking ball right now.”
TT: So what do you specifically do with Chase to work on that with him? Do you work on that in side sessions, or…
SA: “It’s got to stay within the framework of still competing every five days. There’s limited times where you can work on an individual pitch, just because the workloads are high enough that…through sides and throwing in the game, we just make sure he’s using it in the game.”
TT: What specifically needs improvement on his breaking ball? Break? Location?
SA: “It’s all; spin, break, location.”
Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com
April 17, 2008 at 4:13 pm |
Wright does not have a fastball that will get Major League hitters out on a consistent basis. That said, IMO, he needs to have pinpoint control, and his off-speed stuff needs to constantly change planes, and also work both corners of the strike zone.
I doubt he can be any more serviceable than a middle inning guy in the Majors, someone who gives a team length, but it not used much in pressure situations. And I wonder if his future is with another organization, as I do not see him being able to break ahead of folks with better “stuff” than he has.