Corbin cutter:
Patrick Corbin has been toying with the idea of adding a cutter since at least the winter of 2021. He learned pitching grip tips from future Hall of Fame pitcher Max Scherzer when they were training together in Florida.
“I like to see what he’s thinking with the cutter. He throws about three or four different cutters and the zones he does,” Corbin explained at the time.
“Just talking to Max and playing catch, he showed me how he throws,” Corbin said. 77-ish [MPH], give or take, a little bit off than my fastball, harder than my slider, maybe something — I throw one less pitch to each batter, so that’s the idea behind it. Something like that. ”
#nutsLeft-handed Patrick Corbin learns cutter grip from Max Scherzer and more…
“Just talking to Max and playing catch, he showed me how he threw…” – Corbin:
https://t.co/fnSVXm8HW3— Federal Baseball (@federalbaseball) March 12, 2021
His manager said at the time that he liked what he saw from Corbin early on that spring’s Grapefruit League outing.
“I think it’s something he can throw backdoor to right-handed pitchers,” Davey Martinez said. He throws a strong slider, but it stays on the ball like a fastball and can reach right-handed pitchers.
“Instead of always throwing a sinker with a slider, this is something he can add, and like I said, he’s throwing it well.”
Corbin used it in spring training, but he hasn’t thrown a single cutter in a regular season game yet, at least according to Baseball Savant, but he’s looking to incorporate it into the mix again this spring. It is something.
“I think something resonated with him last year about holding the ball down,” Martinez said early in the process. “He’s working on both sides of the plate, but with an emphasis on holding the ball down. I know he’s added a cutter to the mix, but it’s been really good so far, so here’s the spring… I’m really looking forward to seeing him use it and see how he fares during training matches.”
Corbin will begin the 2023 season with a 5.20 ERA, 5.28 FIP, 57 walks (2.85 BB/9), 124 Ks (6.20 K/9), a .293/.344/.481 batting average, and home runs allowed in 180 games. He finished with a score of 33. IP (1.65 HR/9), and he is in the sixth season of a six-year/$140 million contract with DC, looking to bounce back after a tough few years after winning the 2019 World Series.
Although his first pitch this spring was tough and involved a high pitch count, Corbin got off to a solid start in his second pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday afternoon, allowing three hits in three scoreless innings and striking out four. One of them was taken with a cutter). , he pitched a total of seven innings (17%) during his appearance.
“I’m happy so far,” Corbin said afterward. Quoted by Mark Zuckerman of MASN:
“I think the movement and location are pretty good. If I keep going like this, I hope I can pick up a little bit of speed (average speed today was 85.5 mph). But overall I think it’s pretty sharp. And I’ve found that pitch so far, so I’m happy with it.”
Also:
James Wood did it again…he hit his third home run of the spring on Thursday, followed by Lane Thomas’ HR to start the game.
Wood, 21, is a 2021 second-round pick acquired from the Padres in the Juan Soto (and Josh Bell) trade with San Diego and is currently 7-for-14 with three homers, three walks and two in six games. He has recorded a strikeout.
Manager Davey Martinez said he wants to see Wood in the field as often as possible so he can be tested against major league competition.
“I want to get him up there,” Martinez said, as quoted by MASN. “I want him to see big league pitching and see how he responds to it.”
