26-year-old starter Josiah Gray told MLB: “It’s been pretty much the same offseason. I tweaked the sinker a little bit to get him to run more, but other than that, I’d say everything else remains the same.” Ta. Network radio hosted Mike Ferrin and Jim Duquette late last month about spring training preparations.
“Obviously, I’m still trying to refine everything in my mix, whether it’s my breaking ball, my cutter, my four-seam fastball, and I’m also throwing a little more changeup and seeing if I can play that front and back. confirm.”
“But yeah, a lot of what I’ve done so far has been just tinkering with things and not making too many adjustments and trying to refine it a little bit more.”
After Gray had a successful 2023 season and finished the season with a strong September, it makes sense for him to follow the same offseason plan.2.95 ERA, 4.94 FIP, .241/.322/.430 line over 4 starts and 21 1/3 innings pitched.his ERA dropped to 3.91 that year).
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Gray had suffered a tough second half until then (5.79 ERA, 5.40 FIP, .252/.372/.392 line in 37 1⁄3 IP from July 16 to August 28), However, he regained his form after a while and achieved positive results overall.
“I think any time we can finish a strong game, we can go into the offseason with a positive mindset,” he said. “I feel like I can check that box.
“So, we’ve had some good trips the last couple of trips, but this one I’m definitely feeling excited about going into the offseason because I think some of the changes we’ve made over the last three trips have definitely changed.” [bred] result. So I can concentrate on those things. And I’m looking forward to having a positive offseason and coming back from there next year. ”
His walks exceeded his 2022 total (80 in 159 IP, 4.53 BB/9; up from 66 in 148 2⁄3 IP. 4.00BB/9 ’22) However, Gray had 16 fewer home runs (Total of 22 pieces. 1.59 HR/9; dropped from league-leading 38. 22 years 2.30 HR/9).
For the 2024 season, before the start of spring training, Gray was trying to get more comfortable throwing a changeup, and he said he was looking to incorporate it into the mix a little more than he has in the past.
“I’m naturally interested in, ‘What can I do next?'” he explained.
“I do not think so [the changeup] It’s going to be that pitch that really takes over my arsenal. If you look at it, that’s probably 8-10% of my throws, so if I can throw those 8-10% of the time really, really effectively, that’s a win. It doesn’t really take over the arsenal, it’s just another element that you can incorporate into your game plan and see how hitters adjust and go from there. ”
In his first Grapefruit League start of the ’24 season, Gray struck out five of the eight batters he faced, three of them on fastballs. According to Mark Zuckerman of MASNallowing just two hits in two scoreless innings.
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“Anytime you see a swing or a whiff, it feels good, especially on fastballs,” Gray said after the game, as quoted by MASN. “It’s a confidence booster.”
His manager was happy to see Gray hitting the zone all game long.
“That’s a good sign,” Davey Martinez said. “I was talking to him all spring training about being in the zone, near the zone. Get them in swing mode. … He was great. It was a great first outing for him.”
Gray was also happy with the changeup he threw in this game.
“Because I think it would be a very good weapon for left-handed hitters,” he said. “If I can throw for strikes early on, I think I can expand my zone with fastballs, cutters, and breaking balls.”