Clearwater, Fla. — Count Eduardo Rodriguez among the strongest proponents of pitchers calling their own pitches.
He used PitchCom to call all 33 of his pitches Friday in the Tigers’ 6-3 spring win over the Phillies — and, well, he loved it.
“It feels good,” he said after retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced in three innings. “I like it a lot. My last bullpen, I worked with it and it felt really, really good. I like the results I had with it, the confidence I feel with it. I feel like I’m going to keep doing it if they let me.”
Teams are experimenting with the pitcher PitchCom this spring, but it has not yet been approved by the league for the regular season. Matthew Boyd used it in his start Thursday, but he only called three or four pitches.
Rodriguez called them all, although he said catcher Donny Sands had veto power.
“That’s the way I planned it,” Rodriguez said. “I call my own pitches and the catcher, if he don’t like the pitch I want to throw, he can call me back and that’s the one we’re going to throw.”
There didn’t seem to be much disagreement between the two. Rodriguez threw 10 straight four-seam fastballs before mixing a cutter. He didn’t throw any breaking balls until the second inning and he didn’t throw any changeups until his third inning.
“I like to establish my fastball and feel myself on the right path with all my pitches,” he said. “I know if I feel the right way with my fastball, it’s going to feel the right way with the rest of my pitches.”
He ended up throwing 17 four-seamers, five cutters, three changeups, three sliders and a sinker. He got six swings-and-misses on 17 swings. He punched out Trea Turner twice, both with heaters.
Manager AJ Hinch, as he said Thursday, is not a fan of pitchers calling their own game. A lot of work, a lot of manpower and resources, go into preparing a game plan, breaking down hitters’ strengths and weaknesses, count tendencies, hot zones, cold zones and matching that up to the pitchers’ strengths and weaknesses.
The way Rodriguez was describing it, he was calling his pitches based on how his stuff was working that day. Which is perfectly fine for a spring game. Probably not ideal in the regular season.
“Those pitches (that he called) are the ones I felt really good that day warming up in the bullpen,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like I’m the one who knows myself more than anybody. So, if some pitch isn’t working the right way that day and the catcher is calling it, then that’s not good.
“I know every pitcher feels this way. If the catcher calls for your best pitch and that day it’s not working the right way, you’re not going to throw it with the same confidence. That’s why I feel this is going to make me better, because I’m going to call the pitch that I really feel comfortable with.”
Rodriguez had no issues with the pitch clock. In fact, he echoed what Max Scherzer, Luis Severino and other pitchers around the league have said, that calling pitches from the mound helps them control the tempo and pace of their outing.
There is also an accountability element to it, Rodriguez said.
“The other part of it is, if I throw a pitch and they hit a homer, it’s my pitch. I called it,” he said. “It’s not going to make the catcher feel bad. I’m going to be the one. I take everything on myself, because I wanted to call that pitch.
“If I give up a base hit or a home run, it’s my job. I gave it up.”
PitchCom debate aside, Hinch was encouraged by Rodriguez’s performance.
“He was good because he felt really good,” Hinch said. “It was probably the best fastball he’s had in the spring, for sure, at least in the two springs I’ve had him.”
The average velocity on Rodriguez’s four-seam Friday was 93 mph. His average velo last year was 91.7 mph.
“Getting swings and misses with fastballs up in the zone was key and his cutter was harder today, too (90 mph, up from 88 mph),” Hinch said. “I liked that he was efficient, he pitched with a lot of energy and his velocity was really good.”
Rodriguez will have one more start with the Tigers before he pitches for Team Venezuela in the WBC. That will happen on March 8.
“He will report with his WBC team either March 6 or March 7 in West Palm Beach,” Hinch said. “We had to align our plans with theirs on how to keep him in his routine, keep him in the rotation and let him continue to build for the season — and still have the opportunity to pitch (in the WBC).
“So, we decided he’s going to come back and pitch for us on March 8, even though he’s leaving, and have a little WBC time. That will set him up for whenever they want to put him in their rotation.”
Rodriguez, very low-key by nature, couldn’t hide his excitement about pitching for Venezuela.
“I mean, I feel really good about it,” he said. “It’s my first time going through it. I’ve pitched in the postseason before, I think it’s going to be like that. Every game counts. I’m excited to go there and pitch for my country.”
Twitter: @cmccosky