Max Fried hadn’t but established himself once I first talked to him for FanGraphs in April 2018. Whereas extremely regarded — the San Diego Padres had drafted the southpaw seventh total in 2012 out of Los Angeles’ Harvard-Westlake Excessive College — he had only a smattering of innings beneath his massive league belt. Quick ahead to immediately, and Fried — acquired by the Atlanta Braves in a December 2014 commerce the Padres presumably want they hadn’t made — is likely one of the greatest pitchers in baseball. Furthermore, he has been for the reason that begin of the 2019 season. With the caveat that pitcher win-loss data should be taken with a big grain of salt, the 30-year-old hurler has gone 66-23 during the last five-plus seasons; his .742 successful share ranks first amongst his contemporaries (min. 50 selections). Fried’s ERA and FIP over that span are 3.00 and three.20, respectively, and within the present marketing campaign these numbers are 2.93 and three.22.
His hitting additionally bears point out. In 2021, the final yr earlier than the Nationwide League adopted the DH, Fried had the best batting common (.273), on-base share (.322), wRC+ (77), and wOBA (.289) amongst pitchers with 40 or extra plate appearances. Whereas not precisely Wes Ferrell, Fried might greater than maintain his personal within the batter’s field.
How has the Atlanta ace developed as a pitcher since we spoke six years in the past, and does he miss stepping as much as the plate with a bit of lumber in hand? I broached these subjects with Fried on Wednesday afternoon at Fenway Park.
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David Laurila: You have been comparatively new to the massive leagues once we first spoke. Exterior of being older and extra skilled, what has modified since that point?
Max Fried: “Actually, I’d say it’s simply expertise, simply continuously evolving and taking from what I’ve realized over time. Quite a lot of it has been commanding my pitches higher, throwing them for strikes and preserving guys off steadiness.”
Laurila: Baseball Savant has you throwing seven completely different pitches. Is that correct?
Fried: “I’d say it’s variations of pitches. Quite a lot of the time I’ll throw a pitch and it will get misclassified — a sure pitch shall be referred to as one thing else. I’m nonetheless the identical pitcher — I’m fastball, slider, curveball, changeup, sinker — however generally the slider will get slightly bit cutter-y and generally it will get slightly bit sweeper-y. That’s sort of been the case my complete profession. My slider has been wherever from 90 to 78 [mph]. It has sort of at all times fluctuated, they usually determined to categorise these three as completely different pitches.
“It’s case by case. Typically I would like one thing slightly bit tougher and generally I would like one thing slightly bit larger. I’m taking part in round with it. Of all my pitches, the slider is the one with essentially the most variability.”
Laurila: In a nutshell, outdoors of manipulating your slider you’re basically the identical pitcher now as earlier than…
Fried: “I believe I’ve at all times been one of these pitcher, I simply hadn’t discovered what works for me. I’ve at all times been a man that’s performed round with my velocity — the rate on my fastball, on my curveball, with all of my pitches. It fluctuates primarily based off of making an attempt to maintain hitters off steadiness. Greater than something, it’s embracing that, embracing the character of who I’m. So, I’m sort of evolving, however at my core I’ve sort of at all times been this man.”
Laurila: With that in thoughts, to what extent are you pitching to your strengths versus attacking weaknesses?
Fried: “I’m simply pitching to what the sport tells me in the mean time. Quite a lot of occasions it’s trusting what my catchers have. There’s a lot info now, however on the identical time, for me it’s extra about feeling out what’s occurring within the sport, in addition to how I’m feeling.”
Laurila: With info in thoughts, Spencer Strider is, for lack of a greater time period, a pitching nerd. How do the 2 of you evaluate in that respect?
Fried: “I’d say that he… Spencer has a extremely good understanding of the analytics, and he makes use of that to his benefit. And he’s clearly acquired insane, stand-off-the-page metrics, whereas I don’t essentially have metrics which may stand out to you. What I do have is a number of completely different pitches that transfer a number of other ways. I attempt to use that to my benefit.”
Laurila: Sequencing is presumably fairly necessary to you…
Fried: “Sequencing. Pitch actions. Pitch speeds. Quite a lot of it’s simply with the ability to
give the hitter completely different seems.”
Laurila: Any remaining ideas on pitching?
Fried: “I believe that pitching is completely different and distinctive to every particular person. On the finish of the day — not less than to me — pitching is about preserving the hitter off steadiness sufficient to have the ability to get him out as rapidly as attainable. Should you’re in a position to preserve guys off steadiness, and preserve them off the barrel, you then’re going to have extra success. You’re going to have the ability to go deeper into video games. That’s the character of what I attempt to embrace.”
Laurila: Altering course, [Atlanta catching coach] Sal Fasano recommended that I ask you about hitting. How a lot do you miss hitting?
Fried: “I miss it a ton. It’s one of many components of the sport that… I perceive why it occurred, however for me, selfishly, I miss it as a result of it provides you perspective on how onerous hitting is. What you’re in a position to hit, what you’re not in a position to hit, what the within pitch seems like, what the surface pitch seems like. Having that perspective of standing within the field and figuring out what a pitcher is doing to you, in the identical sport that you just’re pitching, provides you that perspective. Typically you’re on the market on the mound throwing the proper pitch and it’s getting hit, so yeah, the angle on how onerous it’s to really hit.”
Laurila: The pitching side apart, how a lot did you really take pleasure in hitting?
Fried: “I grew up hitting greater than I pitched. My complete life, I’d play the outfield, first base, and hit. Then I’d be pitching. The core of who I used to be as a baseball participant was being a place participant, after which I’d be pitching as nicely.”
Laurila: Was there curiosity in you as a place participant through the scouting course of?
Fried: “There have been groups concerned with me as a hitter, however I believe that with me being left-handed and projectable, throwing onerous — there wasn’t a Shohei Ohtani on the market sort of paving the best way for me as a two-way. At the moment it was simply, ‘You might have a greater probability, and extra alternative, to get to the massive leagues faster as a pitcher.’”
Laurila: You didn’t get to hit a lot within the minors, however once you did — the identical was true within the majors — you didn’t get overmatched. You held your individual.
Fried: “I took pleasure in it. Clearly, it’s onerous to hit as soon as each 5 days, however
I attempted to take advantage of it. My job within the 9 gap, particularly once I was hitting in entrance of Ronald [Acuña Jr.], was to hopefully get on base for him to hit a double or a house run to drive me in and add some cushion.”
Laurila: Place gamers typically embrace taking the mound when the circumstances name for it. Would you relish a chance to do the other, to stroll as much as the plate with a bat in your arms?
Fried: “I’m at all times wanting, each sport, to see. I acquired some pinch-hit alternatives in 2021, so if we ever have a uncommon sport the place we use each man on the bench, I’ll be the primary one going over to [bench coach] Walt [Weiss] to see if he wants me to get my spikes on and loosen up. I haven’t taken BP in awhile, but when I get the chance I’ll be prepared.”
