'Buying in' on himself, Sears brings back the windup
MESA, Ariz. -- JP Sears is getting wound up.
Again.
The Athletics¡¯ 29-year-old southpaw has recently reintroduced the windup into his pitching approach, a method he has not leveraged since 2019. He¡¯s pitched almost exclusively out of the stretch since then, all while establishing himself as one of the club's most durable and dependable pitchers.
So, why the change after having tossed a combined 353 innings (64 starts) over the past two seasons?
Sears said he and pitching coach Scott Emerson collaborated over the winter and concluded that re-implementing the windup could help with his approach, accuracy, timing and even durability. It¡¯s still early in the process -- Sears has pitched just two games so far in Spring Training -- but the early results are promising.
"Mechanically it helps me stay a little bit taller on the mound, it helps me keep my posture up and stacked early on where I feel a bit more explosive going down the mound, and it also helps me combat the pitch clock a little bit,¡± Sears said. ¡°Help out with my timing, help out with my rhythm, and help out with the pitch timer a little bit.¡±
Sunday¡¯s outing against the Dodgers marked the second time Sears has used the windup during Spring Training, and he allowed two runs on two hits over three innings in the A¡¯s 8-4 loss. Sears's only major blemish was a two-run home run to David Bote, which came on a slider that he left over the middle of the plate.
For what it¡¯s worth, Sears was pitching from the stretch at the time, because James Outman was on first base.
Sunday¡¯s game wasn¡¯t against a slouch lineup, either. Sure, superstar Shohei Ohtani was in the lineup for Los Angeles' other split-squad game on Sunday, but Sears still faced the likes of Mookie Betts, Michael Conforto, Tommy Edman and Kik¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez.
Not exactly an easy day at the office.
"I think JP made one mistake to Bote today, and it was a pitch that we talked about,¡± manager Mark Kotsay said. ¡°He learned from it, which is great. He realized the mistake. Outside of that pitch, I thought he did a nice job."
Sears has impressed his manager and teammates with how committed to the change he has been throughout the offseason. Known as the team¡¯s workhorse, he has shouldered a heavy workload admirably while doing everything the coaching staff has asked of him.
That point is not lost on Kotsay.
"Through these challenging two years, guys have continued to work, they¡¯ve continued to believe in the things that we feel are going to lead to success, and JP is a big part of that,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°He¡¯s not a big, physical guy, but he¡¯s proved everyone wrong in terms of going out and taking the ball every fifth day and making those starts.¡±
Sears said the tweak in pitching style is also a nod to many of the league¡¯s most successful starting pitchers, because it helps him establish a rhythm early in the game. The introduction of the pitch timer prior to the 2023 season made finding that groove more of a challenge, but the windup approach helps mitigate it.
With that in mind, Sears said he began to reinsert the routine this past offseason, and has now struck out four batters while allowing three hits over five innings this spring.
"The best starters in the big leagues are guys that create really good rhythm throughout the game,¡± Sears said. ¡°They really show their dominance early, and they look like they¡¯re flowing out there.¡±
That flow could prove effective for both Sears and the A¡¯s in 2025, and with any luck, will continue to pay dividends well into the future.
"'Buying in' is a good way to put it,¡± Sears said. ¡°That¡¯s something that I¡¯m eyeing now, taking that next step, being a better quality pitcher, and just looking like I can throw a lot of quality pitches.¡±