Spencer Arrighetti has twice been featured right here at FanGraphs in standalone vogue, yours really having interviewed the 26-year-old Houston Astros right-hander in April and August of his 2024 rookie season. On each events, he displayed a formidable information of pitching analytics, in addition to a considerate general strategy to his craft.
Our third dialog ended up specializing in his curveball. Arrighetti has been throwing the pitch at 31.4% clip this season, and never solely has it been his most-used providing, it has been extremely efficient. As of this writing, it has yielded a .121 batting common and a .151 slugging proportion whereas eliciting a hefty 50.9% whiff fee. Arrighetti, who took the mound simply seven occasions final season on account of a fractured thumb after which proper elbow irritation, has made 5 begins this yr to the tune of a 4-1 report and a 1.88 ERA over 28 2/3 innings. I spoke with him about his curve at Fenway Park earlier this month.
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David Laurila: You’re throwing much more curveballs than in years previous. Why is that?
Spencer Arrighetti: “Earlier than I obtained harm, it was a top-10 curveball in baseball. That makes me really feel assured to throw it to whomever, and at any time within the rely. Having a pitch like that goes a great distance, particularly as a beginning pitcher. I’ve simply leaned into it just a little extra this yr. Up to now, I had the thought course of that to get a chase or a whiff on a curveball, you needed to set it up with a fastball — one thing tougher within the zone — so as to make a hitter be early on it, or to be off of the form. I’ve form of discovered that there are guys that I can simply spam it to. I can throw it as many occasions as I need, within the zone, out of the zone, and get good outcomes.
“My velocity can be just a little down this yr, and that’s in all probability another excuse I’ve shied away from fastballs at sure factors — though I feel I threw 35%, or perhaps even 40% fastballs the opposite evening towards the Yankees. I had actually good really feel for it, actually good command for the highest rail. The 2 pitches play off of one another. After I can face a lefty and have command of the fastball away, and up-and-away, after which throw a sweepy curveball off of it, it’s a troublesome tunnel to comply with.
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“The outcomes are talking for themselves. I clearly don’t need to jinx something, as a result of I’m going to maintain throwing my curveball loads. However yeah, the elevated utilization is extra of a confidence factor, understanding that after I execute it, it is likely one of the finest pitches in main league baseball.”
Laurila: Was throwing extra curveballs a plan coming into the season, or has the upper utilization been extra natural?
Arrighetti: “It’s extra natural, truthfully. The final couple of years I’ve tried to not make my sport plan a lot primarily based on analytics, however moderately form of do what’s working. Proper now, each time I throw a pitch, it’s the one I firmly imagine in essentially the most. I’d be okay going to sleep at evening if it will get hit over the fence in an enormous spot within the sport.
“That’s one thing I wasn’t actually doing a ton of my rookie season. I attempted to have really feel and analytics form of meet within the center, and be the rationale I’d toss something. Now I’m solely throwing the one I imagine in essentially the most. My perception in that pitch is increased than it’s ever been, which makes me shake to it, or simply throw it each time it will get known as. I imagine that it’s going to yield an excellent end result.”
Laurila: Is it principally all the time the identical curveball, or do you manipulate it for various shapes and velocities?
Arrighetti: “I can manipulate it just a little bit. There are specific hitters the place pace is the rationale why they’ll have higher or worse outcomes. I can throw it slower within the zone after I know {that a} man struggles with pitches under a sure velocity threshold, as a result of their swing will get going sooner, or they’ve bother slowing it down, form of backing off to reload after which swing.
“It’s humorous to speak about it in a vacuum, as a result of it by no means actually occurs in a vacuum in baseball — the context being, ‘How did I get to this rely?’ the place I do know that the pace goes be the distinction, and never essentially the form. Lots of occasions, that depends upon with the ability to throw good fastballs within the zone, as I used to be saying just a little bit earlier. However I’d say the manipulation, for me, extra so comes down to hurry, understanding after I can take just a little bit off, figuring out that the outcomes are going to be good. The identical could possibly be mentioned for throwing it tougher. I’ll add just a little extra sharp motion, versus perhaps greater motion. All of them have their very own time and place to the precise man.”
Laurila: Sequencing and organising pitches issues…
Arrighetti: “Sure. That goes again to the fastball. You must give him a motive to attempt to get his foot down early and the swing going. I feel my common curveball velocity this yr might be someplace round 76 [mph], and the heater might be within the 92-94 vary. It’s a sufficiently big pace hole that… I can’t actually give it a quantitative quantity, however I do firmly imagine that, on common, they’re early sufficient to the place the ball isn’t fairly into the hitting zone by the point the barrel is getting there. That’s an excellent factor.”
Laurila: Might you image your self throwing extra curveballs than fastballs over the course of a season?
Arrighetti: “No, I don’t assume that’s sustainable in any respect. Not essentially from a outcomes standpoint, however extra so from a continuing-to-feel-good standpoint. The curveball is a higher-stress pitch, particularly if I’m attempting to throw it actually laborious. That’s another excuse why I’ve form of leaned into being OK with it being slower; it simply feels higher on the elbow, feels higher on the shoulder. It feels sustainable that approach.
“My rookie yr, the common velocity of my curveball was in all probability two or three miles per hour increased, as a result of I’d attempt to throw it as laborious as I may each time. I’ve come round to understanding that that isn’t in any respect mandatory. If something, it’s one thing that will be a limiting consider my potential to throw it extra.
“I feel that I’ll all the time combine properly, however once more, I don’t assume I’ll ever throw extra curveballs than fastballs. If I had been a reliever, I feel it might be simple to do this. With a smaller pattern, I’m going to throw the one which I imagine in essentially the most, and that I imagine is the very best analytical end result, extra usually or not. However as a beginning pitcher, having to face a man thrice, you’ve gotten to have the ability to throw your fastball loads.”
Laurila: You clearly had the elbow situation final yr, although it didn’t require surgical procedure.
Arrighetti: “I had a sprain in my UCL, and I attribute that to a mechanical adjustment I’d made attempting to throw tougher, extra so than to me upping the spin utilization. The proof for that will be, this yr my mechanics are feeling extra just like the place they had been in 2024. I’m in a position to throw the curveball much more with out ache. I’m in a position to throw the slider much more with out ache. It got here all the way down to an intent-related factor. Understanding when to step on the fuel, and figuring out after I don’t have to, has gone a great distance. I don’t actually have any issues with the elbow at this level.”
Laurila: Your curveball definitely got here again simply high-quality after the time missed.
Arrighetti: “I didn’t throw for 16 weeks out of the yr. I usually throw yr spherical. I don’t actually take a break when the season ends, as a result of I really feel like that’s form of a one-way ticket to dropping really feel for sure issues, particularly sure grips, or simply your mechanics as a complete. However as quickly as my mechanics felt good once more, the spin was again.
“With pitchers who’ve surgical procedure, you form of have just a little little bit of a psychological block in the case of spinning the ball, since you really feel that’s in all probability how you bought harm within the first place. However [that] wasn’t the case for me. Once more, I don’t actually attribute any of the elbow soreness that I used to be experiencing to spinning the ball. That’s one thing that has all the time come fairly simply for me, and never one thing that will injury my elbow.”