GLENDALE, Ariz. – In making the jump from Japan to MLB, Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will have to deal with major-league hitters.
And major-league eyes.
Though the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal prompted MLB to crack down on some aspects of baseball’s gray areas, teams still search aggressively – and by sophisticated means – for any advantage that can be gleaned before a pitch is delivered. Pitch-tipping is something the Dodgers actively work to root out, pitching coach Mark Prior said.
“It’s a focus just because it has to be because it’s part of the game,” he said. “It’s not a one-off anymore. It’s pretty much every team employing some version of it – whether it’s players switching teams, whether it’s coaches. These guys are really good at it. It’s a focus that’s just part of the game.”
Prior said Yamamoto might not be as familiar with that aspect of the game here because “from my understanding, that’s not something as actively practiced in the NPB. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but that’s my understanding, where obviously over here it’s much more of an active program by pretty much all 30 teams.”
On the SportsNet LA broadcast of Yamamoto’s spring debut earlier this week, they used the center-field camera to spot Yamamoto changing his grip on the ball in his glove, a sure-fire way to predict what pitch was coming.
“It’s not really a big concern for me at this point,” Yamamoto said of potential pitch-tipping through his interpreter. “As it gets closer to the season, I’ll fix it and talk to the coaches.
“It was the same in Japan. When the season starts, I’ll make those adjustments.”
Teams cannot use the center-field camera view during games. But a runner on second base might have a view into Yamamoto’s glove (though not as clear if he is pitching out of the stretch).
Regardless, there is plenty of study done before and after games, looking for any clues.
“There’s always different things that you’re looking for,” Prior said. “What can hitters actually see? What can hitters actually react to in time? Do you need a runner on second base?
“There’s different variations of tipping. Sometimes it’s glove. Sometimes it’s tempo. Sometimes it’s a guy sticking his tongue out. So there’s all different types of things. At the end of the day, you’re trying to figure out what is actually actionable for a hitter to act on in real time.”
If there are things Yamamoto will need to clean up, that doesn’t make him unique, Prior said.
“Whether it’s guys like Connor (McGuiness, assistant pitching coach), myself, Bard-o (bullpen coach Josh Bard) or even our video guys and Will (Ireton) and those guys – we’re pretty vigilant on all our guys,” Prior said. “We’re aware of things on a number of our guys and we try to clean it up as much as we can.
“I think at the end of the day it’s a question of if it’s actionable I think everything matters. Everything matters but what the solution is sometimes isn’t always as black and white. You have to weigh the cost of – if you make moves does that change delivery, change stuff? That’s not unique to him. That’s whether we’re talking about the 13 active guys or the 30 guys we have in camp. This is something we’re on top of daily with everybody.”
FIFTH STARTER
At the start of camp, right-hander Emmet Sheehan seemed to be the frontrunner to open the season as the Dodgers’ fifth starter, filling a spot in the rotation until Walker Buehler makes his anticipated return some time in May.
But Sheehan experienced some shoulder soreness and only re-started a throwing program on Saturday after being shut down for a week. That would seem to open the door for Gavin Stone.
“I’m not really sure,” Stone said. “I just know if I put up zeroes then good things will happen. So that’s all I’m really focused on.”
Stone has made three appearances in Cactus League games already, allowing just three hits and a walk in 5 ⅔ innings. He said his “head space and command” are both improved this spring after posting a 9.00 ERA over 31 innings as a rookie last year.
Stone also added “10 to 12 pounds” during the offseason, looking to maintain his velocity better over the course of the season.
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“He’s having a good spring,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Stone’s three scoreless innings Sunday. “He’s been consistent with his strike-throwing, his command. He’s been efficient.
“He’s doing his part. But there’s still a long way to go.”
ALSO
The Dodgers made their first cuts of the spring following Sunday’s game. Sent to minor-league camp were right-handers Landon Knack, Michael Petersen Ricky Vanasco, Jesse Hahn and Nick Frasso, left-hander Stephen Gonsalves, catchers Hunter Feduccia and Diego Cartaya and outfielder Andy Pages.