INDIANAPOLIS – Three Indianapolis coaches all had a similar evaluation of Tyler Glasnow: opponents won’t feel comfortable at the plate.
Manager Dean Treanor, pitching coach Stan Kyles, and hitting coach Butch Wynegar have watched every inning Glasnow has thrown this season for the Triple-A Indians.
They all state the obvious, Glasnow has good stuff. But a myriad of factors – height, delivery, and pitch command – make him an uncomfortable at-bat for opponents. Glasnow has some deception with his aggressive delivery and has great arm speed on his pitches, Treanor said.
“So when he goes to his changeup or breaking ball, they have to be ready for the fastball,” Treanor said. “There’s something else involved with that. He’s wild in the zone. There’s a lot to be said for that. There’s no comfortable at-bats against him. It’s not that he intentionally will pitch inside off the plate, but some balls will run in there.”
Wynegar was a two-time All-Star during his 13 year major league career. As he sits in the dugout and watches Glasnow, uncomfortable past memories — facing J.R. Richard and Randy Johnson — are conjured up. Richard stood 6-foot-8, just like Glasnow; while Johnson is 6-10.
“The stride was almost off the mound and it felt like they were right on top of you, handing the ball to you,” Wynegar said. “I think that’s what the hitters feel with Glasnow. His stride is so long and he’s so long-legged, not to mention he’s throwing 95 or 97. So he’s already being on top of you and the ball just jumps on you.”
Glasnow’s velocity that consistently sits in the mid-90s and reaches higher, causes enough problems. But when his curveball is showing good movement, hitters can be left hoping for the best. And Glasnow has been working on becoming a pitcher, not just a thrower, Wynegar said.
“He’s trying to find times when he can snap that curveball off,” Wynegar said. “And you have to honor it, that’s the thing. If we were facing him, I would tell our guys that you’ve got to be ready for that fastball from the first pitch on. Try to give the curveball up as long as you can until two strikes. And be ready to jump the fastball.”
Wynegar remembers facing Nolan Ryan. And when he had his curveball working hitters had to hope for a first-pitch fastball.
“When Ryan had his curveball working he was almost unhittable,” Wynegar said. “It was a matter of, ‘Throw me a first pitch fastball. Please, so I can try to jump on it.’ And if you didn’t get it, you were like ‘Oh shit, I’m in trouble.’ That’s how I look at [Glasnow] right now.”
Glasnow finished up a month of June that — minus some walks — was dominant. He allowed just nine hits in 34 innings of work, striking out 36 but walking 26.
But in his last outing with the Indians — at Toledo on July 2 — Glasnow walked just one batter in six innings. After allowing a first inning home run in his last outing, he seemed to change his mindset on the mound.
“I think he started to think less about throwing strikes and instead just making pitches,” Kyles said. “I think a lot of times here he get so concerned about throwing strikes that sometimes he loses the thought of ‘hey, I have to make quality pitches.’ At the next level I think that’s going to be his only concern. I think he understands he just can’t throw the ball over the plate at that level and just get away with it.”
And that may be one of the biggest keys for Glasnow in his debut on Thursday. When Treanor told Glasnow he was being promoted, he reminded him that he only gets one major league debut. One aspect will be key in how that debut goes.
“You only have one major league debut and it’s going to be about your stuff,” Treanor said. “You have to go up there and let your stuff play. I think he will and he will be very aggressive. That’s the biggest thing for me. If you walk somebody, hey, he’s walked people here and they didn’t score on him and that’s because of his stuff.”
Along with trusting himself, the other key mental aspect will be ignoring outside expectations. While Chad Kuhl and Steven Brault are highly ranked prospects within the organization, Glasnow is considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball.
“There will be a bigger spotlight on him because of where he ranks and with him coming up after the other three,” Treanor said. “So that’s something you don’t talk to him about. You just let him go up there and hopefully he goes out and is himself.”
Glasnow has shown he can dominate the Triple-A level. His 1.78 ERA ranks third in the International League, while his 113 strikeouts in 96 innings leads the league. If his curveball and command looks good, then Glasnow could be in line for an impressive debut.
