Masahiro Tanaka acknowledges loss in velocity, change in pitching style
The general feeling around baseball is that Masahiro Tanaka‘s right elbow is a ticking time bomb as he attempts to pitch through a small tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. It’s not a matter of if the ligament will pop, it’s a matter of when, and when could be any pitch between Monday and the year 2020.
That’s the reality the New York Yankees and their massive fanbase face heading into the season opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. And that’s the reality that has led many to question whether or not Tanaka is doing the right thing by putting off surgery and soldiering on.
Sure, it’s understandable from Tanaka’s standpoint. No player wants to miss time or face the 12-15 month recovery time associated with Tommy John surgery. That’s especially true of a competitor like Tanaka, who’s looking to establish himself after signing a contract worth $155 million last winter. But the outside perspective is quite different. If Tanaka is aiming to push through it, Yankees fans at least want to feel like they’re getting something close to the pitcher who earned that contract in Japan and who dominated MLB to start his rookie season, rather than a pitcher who’s resigned to the reality that he can’t be himself.
Unfortunately, there’s now some real concern about the latter being true based on comments Tanaka made to media on Saturday.
“I’m going to try and establish a certain pitching style this year, so it is not the wisest to ask for velocity from me this year,” Tanaka said through an interpreter.
“Because of the fact that I’m throwing more two-seamers, that would obviously make the velocity go down,” Tanaka said. “As for my pitching style, talking about my mechanics, I’m trying to relax a little bit more when I’m throwing, so that might have to do with it a little bit.”
In a previous interview with MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, Tanaka acknowledged a plan to throw more two-seamers, which he said stemmed from concern about his four-seam fastball being too vulnerable last season. Though if you read between the lines about pitching a certain style and relaxing his mechanics, he could be underlining a plan to protect the elbow.
Looking at the numbers last season, Tanaka was 11-1 with a sparkling 1.99 ERA over his first 14 outings. That would suggest very few of his pitches were vulnerable early on, although that may have changed as the tear in his UCL developed. For what it’s worth, Tanaka posted a 3.07 ERA in 14 2/3 innings this spring. That indicates the reliance on the two-seamer won’t necessarily spell disaster from a performance standpoint, but it’s still a concern that Tanaka might not have the confidence to turn loose.
The key thing to watch early might be how often Tanaka turns to his spiltter. That is unquestionably his best pitch, and it might be one of the top five pitches in all of baseball. If he shies away from it or it doesn’t have the same devastating action, the red flags will come up en masse. If he’s got the splitter, it’s working and he’s not just saving it for big spots, then it might be safe to exhale.
At least until the next outing, when the same fears must be dispelled again. That’s the delicate nature of the injury Tanaka is pitching through, and indeed that’s the reality Yankees.fans are now facing.
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