Hard work pays off with extra velo as Maeda aces spring debut
Jason Beck
@beckjasonLAKELAND, Fla. -- The first pitch from Kenta Maeda on Saturday came in at 92.7 mph, according to Statcast. He reached back an inning later for 93.7.
It wasn¡¯t an anomaly. Maeda¡¯s fastball reached 92 mph in his live batting practice session earlier in the week.
¡°I throw fast now,¡± Maeda joked last week.
Humor aside, Maeda came to Tigers camp ready to compete, and it showed. With two perfect innings and four strikeouts, he made an early statement that he¡¯s ready to win his rotation spot back.
¡°This one definitely felt different,¡± Maeda said Saturday through translator Dai Sekizaki. ¡°I usually feel more of a joy just to go out there and see how I feel in Game 1 of Spring Training. This was different. There were some nerves in me. I haven¡¯t felt that in a while. That was very exciting.¡±
Compare Saturday to Maeda¡¯s Spring Training debut last March 1, when his fastball averaged 89.1 mph and topped out at 90.1. That in itself was an uptick from his early work, and it reflected his traditional approach to Spring Training: Build velocity through camp in order to be at peak performance for the start of the season.
That peak never happened. Maeda struggled through the first half of last season, partly through diminished velocity, partly through ineffective secondary pitches. He had a 7.26 ERA and .906 OPS allowed through 16 starts when the Tigers moved him to the bullpen in early July. Last year, Maeda threw just three fastballs harder than Saturday¡¯s 93.7 mph, according to Statcast, two of them against the Dodgers on July 14 in his first game out of the bullpen.
That boost proved temporary, and Maeda ended up being left off the postseason roster.
¡°Last year, to put it simply, was very frustrating, not being able to contribute to the team, help the team in any way. That motivated me to do better,¡± the 36-year-old Maeda said last week. ¡°Something¡¯s got to change. Something¡¯s got to change drastically.
¡°Given my age, it made me realize there¡¯s things that I can do to improve myself and figure out a way to help out the team. That motivated me more to practice harder, to prepare better. That¡¯s what got me here this spring.¡±
That echoed sentiments from the Tigers.
¡°Just speaking for myself, I think we could¡¯ve done a better job of preparing him for the season last year,¡± president of baseball operations Scott Harris said last October. ¡°It was a difficult transition for him. I think we saw when he showed up in Lakeland that his stuff wasn¡¯t quite as crisp as it has been in his career. It took him some time to really build the arm strength and the finish on his pitches that ultimately made him successful for most of his career.¡±
In previous offseasons, Maeda said, he would throw one or two bullpen sessions before reporting to camp. This offseason, he threw eight.
¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that¡¯s the sole reason why I¡¯m feeling great,¡± Maeda said last week. ¡°I think it has to do with going over the mechanics where I felt off and certain adjustments here and there. I think that has a major factor in how I¡¯m feeling.¡±
Even so, the extra work put Maeda in a better position to compete for a rotation spot this Spring Training, something he hasn¡¯t had to do in a while. Alex Cobb¡¯s hip injury leaves Detroit with two open spots in a five-man rotation. Saturday was the first step in claiming one of them.
¡°I think I¡¯ll have to treat these Spring Training games a little differently,¡± Maeda said. ¡°It¡¯s always been like a buildup toward Opening Day, but on top of that, I have to earn a spot. So I have to prove to the team, I have to put the results on the table, for me to be worthy of a starter and obviously [show] how I¡¯m different from the 2024 season.
¡°The Tigers have invested two years in me. I couldn¡¯t contribute as much as I wanted to [in] year one, so this is the year that I¡¯ll be contributing. I¡¯ll be better than last year. We made a playoff push last season, and I think we have a realistic shot of bringing a championship to Detroit this year. So I hope to do my best to help out the team.¡±
Saturday was a good sign. Maeda averaged 92.4 mph on his fastball, well above his regular-season average last year, and it set up an array of splitters and sweepers for the strikeouts.
¡°I¡¯ve been a starter all my career, and I pride myself as a starter,¡± Maeda said. ¡°So for this spring, I¡¯m here to compete to earn a spot in the starting rotation, and I¡¯ll give 100% to do that.¡±