Austin Adams threw a better proportion of sliders than any pitcher in baseball final season. In 56 aid outings comprising 41 1/3 innings, the 33-year-old right-hander relied on his signature providing 73.8% of the time. The heavy utilization wasn’t an outlier for Adams. Since breaking into the massive leagues in 2017, his 77.2% slider proportion is tops amongst hurlers to throw at the least 100 innings.
His general numbers have been stable. Pitching for 5 groups, together with the Athletics final 12 months, Adams has a 4.10 ERA, a 3.98 FIP, and a 31.6% strikeout fee over 155 2/3 profession innings. He’s difficult to sq. up constantly, and he’s held opposing batters to a .199 batting common. Command has been the fly within the ointment, and never simply due to his higher-than-ideal 13.9% stroll fee. Adams plunked 13 batters final season, and in 2021 with the Padres, he outlandishly logged 24 HBPs in 52 2/3 frames.
Now in large league camp with the Crimson Sox after signing a minor league deal in January, Adams sat down to speak about his slider(s) at Boston’s spring coaching facility in Fort Myers.
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David Laurila: You throw a ton of sliders. Why?
Austin Adams: “The explanation I throw so many sliders is as a result of I get pleasure from having a job in baseball. It’s my greatest pitch. I attempt to take every one in all my pitches, individually, in a vacuum. For me, it’s not essentially about setting issues up. I’m not saying that’s not a factor. What I’m saying is that it’s more durable to quantify. My highest-graded pitch is my slider — metrically it’s a extremely good pitch — so I’m going to throw it the vast majority of the time. It’s what provides me the most effective alternative to get outs.”
Laurila: What are the metrics in your slider?
Adams: “Oh, man. I believe the most important factor that drives that pitch is the variability of shapes. Yesterday there have been occasions the place it was getting virtually the form of a slurve, and there have been occasions the place it was extra like a real sweeper; I used to be getting round 13 inches of horizontal.
“When you have a look at the spin, what’s ended up occurring is the seam orientation… like, I’m tilting the axis up. That’s what’s getting the ball to go left. And if I need to get extra depth on it, I simply attempt to tilt the axis down. However the spin shouldn’t be essentially like what you’d see on some sweepers, the place it’s that one seam. That’s why I don’t seize a ton of the particular spin. I spin it extremely excessive, however I don’t seize the spin to get the overall motion that I believe it might get. It’s extra like a seam-shifted slider.”
Laurila: You throw lots of sliders, however not at all times the identical slider…
Adams: “[It’s] the variability. So, previously few years it’s been anyplace from 75% to 90% [usage]. The ball-tracking knowledge says, ‘This can be a slider,’ however the pitching plot on my slider may very well be on the road [at] zero, all the way in which out to fifteen. It’s additionally a pitch that may be on the vertical line at -8 to -10. There’s a ton of variability. I’m manipulating it based mostly off of wrist placement and what I’m doing after I’m throwing it.
“What I’m attempting to be taught now’s learn how to truly leverage seams in order that I’m getting a seam impact as a substitute of simply manipulating my wrist to get a form. I believe that’s the factor. In 2019 with the Mariners, earlier than I tore my ACL, I bought actually comfy with getting a brief slider within the zone early, and a extremely large slider, nonetheless the identical miles per hour, later within the depend. However I type of misplaced the texture for that after I tore my ACL. I’m attempting to get it again. Whereas I’ve had some success with throwing [a slider] the vast majority of the time, I really feel like my greatest years are forward of me. As soon as I discover ways to leverage seams, the consistency of the 2 completely different sliders shall be higher.”
Laurila: How does one go about studying learn how to leverage seams?
Adams: “You employ Edgertronic. You employ line balls. I believe you simply keep on prime of it… however you may’t simply have a look at ball-flight knowledge and say, ‘These are the fitting numbers I need to get.’ You need to have a look at the precise form of the pitch [and] the precise spin you’re getting. It needs to be, ‘All proper, is that this going to be efficient for me everyday?’ If I don’t tilt the axis up completely, it’s not going to catch the fitting means. If I get the seams the place I must, it’s going to be a extra constant pitch.”
Laurila: That can make one in all your two sliders a greater pitch…
Adams: “I truly throw three completely different sliders. I throw a cutter factor, a extremely laborious sweep, after which my actually depth-y one.”
Laurila: Is there one you are likely to desire over the others?
Adams: “I’m in all probability nearer to zero vert to adverse vert than I’m to the constructive verts, The constructive verts are those I believe are my greatest. These are those I’m in a position get swings-and-misses on. The adverse ones type of go into what the batters are used to seeing. They’re seeing that spin, so that they’re considering, ‘Hey, that is going to drop; I must get on aircraft for this pitch.’ But when I’m in a position to tilt the axis up and get extra induced vertical break than your typical slider, I’m usually lacking the barrel. They’re getting beneath it.”
Laurila: Is there something value noting about your fastball?
Adams: “I believe the most important factor is that I must throw it more durable. I’m round 93-94 [mph], so I’m beneath common for a right-handed reliever. The four-seam is rarely going to be a driving pitch for me; it’s extra a pitch that I’m going to wish to throw to a location. I’m additionally studying a two-seam proper now, which goes to assist as effectively.”
Laurila: Any remaining ideas?
Adams: “Actually, like I mentioned earlier, I really feel like my greatest years are forward of me… I imply, I don’t know many guys who’re in a position to go on the market with only one pitch 90% of the time and have some form of success on the large league stage. I’m nonetheless studying. Even with me being within the large leagues for shut to 6 years now, I’m nonetheless studying.”