Lauer's mentality 'better than it ever has been' entering 2024

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Baseball is a game of failure. Eric Lauer is coming to accept that more.

The back of his baseball card tells some of the story. He showed promising signs in 2018 and 2019, but struggled in the abbreviated 2020 season. In 2021 and 2022, he pitched to a 3.47 ERA over 53 games for the Brewers, 49 of which were starts. Last season, that ERA ballooned to 6.56 over 10 outings, and he was outrighted off of the roster.

• Box score: Red Sox 1, Pirates 0

“I kept making the joke that I have two good years, one bad year and then two good years,” Lauer said. “I should be on a two-year swing now, but I don’t want to keep that trend going. I want to just keep going good.”

The Pirates are banking on that upswing, too, which is why they signed him to a Minor League deal with a Spring Training invitation this week.

The good news for Lauer is he feels much better now than he did last year when he was dealing with inflammation and nerve compression, which, due to what he described as a “communication error” between him and the Brewers, was treated as muscle weakness. Lauer lost 2.5 mph off his fastball (93.3 mph in 2022 to 90.8 mph in 2023) for injuries that he felt shouldn’t have impacted him for a full season.

He’s feeling better now physically, and perhaps more importantly, mentally. As things continued to get worse last year, thoughts kept crawling into Lauer’s head:

“Why is this happening? Why are things not working? Why is it not where I'm supposed to be?' Why does it just not feel right?”

Those thoughts led to self-doubt: “Did I prepare properly? Have I done enough? Is it me? What is it that's going on?”

This winter, Lauer confronted those thoughts a different way and started consulting a mental skills coach named Brian Cain. He had never really dove into sports psychology before, and by doing so, it became easier to process his failures.

“I was one of those people that thought it was for the weak-minded,” Lauer said. “The more you get into it, the more you realize it's a skill. It's something you can work on and get better at. We put so much time and effort into our physical prowess, but a lot of the game's mental.”

Coming at the game with a more positive outlook, Lauer is feeling more confident. The game is built around failure, so if he can be more mentally strong, it would go a long way over a 162-game season.

"Failing seven out of 10 times as a hitter in this game is Hall of Fame status,” Lauer said. “That's a weird concept."

It’s no question that a confident, effective Lauer would be a solid pickup for the Pirates. There’s a lot to be seen with him and if he has regained some of that lost velocity, but the Pirates know firsthand what type of potential he brings.

“He’s been an effective Major League starter,” manager Derek Shelton said. “He’s been in our division. Right now, we’re trying to build starter depth as much as possible. I realize he’s behind the eight ball a little bit in terms of the timing that he’s come in. We’re gonna try and get him built up to be a starter and go from there.”

Shelton said he does not know if Lauer could be ready for Opening Day as a starter, but did not rule it out. The Pirates currently have two starting spots up for grabs, and Lauer could play a role in this rotation.

He feels he could give two innings right now due to the work he did in his independent throwing program before signing with the Pirates. Depending on how willing the Pirates are to throw him into the fire of a full spring routine, he could have enough time for a couple of spring outings, too. With the extra off-days in April, they could theoretically work around needing to stretch him out in season, if they should so choose.

For Lauer, he’s motivated to get back to a Major League mound again and prove that “last year wasn't who I am.”

“Overall, body-wise and my mentality just feels better than it ever has been,” Lauer said. “I’m ready to rock and ready to go.”