'Fun to see': Fried shines in 1st mound session with Yankees

TAMPA, Fla. -- Max Fried believes he was about 12 or 13 years old when he first discovered the ability to make a baseball move like others couldn¡¯t. Snapping nasty curveballs into the dirt, the left-hander was experiencing the infancy of what would develop into one of the Majors¡¯ best show-stopping 12-to-6 waterfalls.

¡°Ever since I started throwing it, I¡¯ve felt like I always had a pretty good one,¡± Fried said on Saturday. ¡°Obviously, it¡¯s evolved over the years; it¡¯s not the exact same pitch that I had when I was that young, but for me, I¡¯ve always had a feel or a knack for spinning the baseball. It¡¯s more or less been a natural pitch.¡±

Fried showcased that hook during his first mound session at Yankees camp, prompting impressed glances from the left-hander¡¯s new manager, coaches and teammates. Fried said the pitch was a gift from his self-described mentor, former Major League outfielder Reggie Smith, who tutored a young Fried at his baseball academy in Encino, Calif.

¡°He showed me a bunch of different grips, taught me how to throw it, and I¡¯ve kind of been able to take it from there,¡± Fried said.

That¡¯s for sure. Over his last five seasons with the Braves, Fried posted a 2.81 ERA across 112 starts, which ranks as the lowest mark by any Major League pitcher to toss at least 500 innings over that span, notching a 54-25 record with five complete games.

Since that time, he ranks second in winning percentage (.684) and home runs per nine innings (0.67), third in ground-ball percentage (54.5%), opponents¡¯ slugging percentage (.330) and opponents¡¯ OPS (.612), among other statistical proof of his excellence.

That performance earned Fried an eight-year, $218 million deal during the Winter Meetings in December, the largest contract ever issued to a left-handed pitcher and the fourth largest to date for any pitcher. The Yankees believe Fried will prove a worthy investment.

¡°He¡¯s got such a large arsenal that, watching him as a hitter, it¡¯s hard to get a bead on him,¡± manager Aaron Boone said. ¡°His stuff¡¯s really good, but it¡¯s also the mix of pitches and the movement of pitches. He¡¯s got a full arsenal. It¡¯s been kind of fun to see it up close now, just how much all his pitches move. Ultimately, what he¡¯s great at is staying off the barrel.¡±

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake has said he believes the club can help Fried, already a two-time All-Star during his time in Atlanta, register more strikeouts (he had 166 in 174 1/3 innings last year). Fried agrees, saying that there is ¡°absolutely room for that.¡±

¡°At the end of the day, strikeouts come from consistent shapes of pitches in good locations,¡± Fried said. ¡°So [they would come from] being able to be more consistent and throw pitches in the spots that I need to. But I also know that I¡¯ve been able to have a lot of success getting weak contact and getting ground balls, understanding that¡¯s who I am. ¡­ I¡¯m not going to complain about striking out a couple more guys.¡±

If they are to achieve that, the Yanks won¡¯t teach Fried any new pitches; he¡¯s already got a seven-pitch mix to keep hitters guessing. But they might tinker with his usage -- last season with Atlanta, Fried leaned most heavily on his fastball (34%) and that knee-buckling curveball (21%), ahead of his two-seamer (16%) and changeup (14%).

¡°It¡¯s too early to say,¡± Fried said. ¡°For me, I don¡¯t go in with a pre-plan of, ¡®I¡¯m going to throw this many pitches,¡¯ or a percentage of them. The game dictates it. I¡¯m always out there competing, throwing the best pitch that I feel like the situation calls for.¡±

While continuing to acclimate to his new surroundings, Fried has found a sounding board in ace Gerrit Cole. Despite tossing with opposite hands, there are similarities between the hurlers -- they¡¯re both Southern California products who were first-round MLB Draft selections out of their respective high schools.

¡°I knew Max in passing from a couple of All-Star games, running by him,¡± Cole said. ¡°So far, so good. I have nothing but positive things to say about what kind of person he is, and the attributes he brings from a talent perspective and a performance perspective.¡±

Fried had similar thoughts about Cole, praising his ace mentality and calling him ¡°one of the best pitchers in the world, year in and year out.¡±

¡°He knows exactly what he needs to do to be successful, and he¡¯s extremely knowledgeable and talented,¡± Fried said. ¡°Just to be able to sit and watch him work and his routine, the way he goes about his preparation, I¡¯m going to do as much as I can to soak up as much as I can.¡±