New Mariners pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. focused on learning his pitchers, earning their trust

New pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre has his work cut out for him.

BY SHANNON DRAYER

Feb 23, 2016, 6:36 AM Updated: 12:25 pm

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With 28 pitchers in camp, new Mariners pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. has got his work cut out for him. He knows their repertoires and has seen their work on film, but there is more to be learned.

“To this point, I’ve stayed out of their way and put my eyes on them. It’s more about getting to learn them as people and how they work on the mound,” he said following Monday’s work.

Tweaks will be made when needed with his pitchers over the course of the season, but early on it’s not about re-inventing the wheel for Stottlemyre. He understands that trust must first be built on both sides.

“I am just getting to know them,” he said. “The last thing we want to do is come in and see something and make changes right away. It’s just not fair to them, so we are just letting them be them and doing what they need to do to get ready.”

That’s not to say that there haven’t been some changes already. Stottlemyre’s throwing program is a little different for most as early on he is giving most guys an extra day between bullpen sessions. There are a number of reasons for this.

“The game has changed. We do things differently,” he said matter-of-factly. “There’s more demands on what they do in terms of the weight room.”

In this camp early on, the pitchers are also throwing more often in fundamental drills and in drills to work on controlling the running game compared to what we have seen in previous years. Stottlemyre is taking these throws into consideration in regard to workload.

“What I wanted to do was allow them to get something out of their drills, their fundamentals, and on the day that they throw their bullpen not have to labor and limp through it to get something out of it,” he said. “I’ve built in another day of recovery based on the demands of the other stuff that is going on in there. The one thing I have never liked, when it is time for pitchers to throw a live BP or bullpen, is where they labor to get through it because that is the day I want to build and get something out of it.”

Stottlemyre’s methods were developed from a wide range of experience. From lessons from his dad – the former Yankees pitcher and one-time Mariners pitching coach – to his playing days to his time in player development and also as a big-league pitching coach, Stottlemyre’s eyes and ears have been open.

“You study,” he said. “In this day and age, you pay attention to numbers and biomechanics and that kind of stuff. I look deep into all that stuff. It’s just trying to understand everything that happens in this game and process it and be able to apply it to our guys, make it functional, make it work. I’ve listened to a lot of guys who have done it for a long period of time. Guys like Randy Johnson. I’ve picked Felix’s brain. You have have to balance it between having young guys in camp and making sure it is going to work for them as well.”

And what has he learned from Hernandez in his initial meetings?

“He’s a very tenacious competitor. We all know that,” Stottlemyre said. “But he’s a bright young man, having done it for a long period of time. He has a lot to offer to young guys and to me. He knows what he wants and he’s not afraid to tell you and I like that he’s had a lot of success. It’s my job to make sure we take care of him. He’s a pleasant guy, he’s a normal human being that has passion for this game and is very pleasant. To this point.”

That last line was said with a smile. At some point, the pitching coach might have to say something that Felix doesn’t want to hear. Felix is big on consistency, keeping things the same. If something needs to be changed, however, Stottlemyre is ready for that conversation.

“Do I respect the hell out of what he has done in this game? Yeah,” he said. “Not to a point that if I think there is something I am really committed and convicted to that needs to be adjusted, I’m not afraid to tell him, and he will learn that as we start to build trust in each other.”

We’ve seen that trust from Felix in pitching coaches and managers in recent years. We no longer see the displays of emotion, real or put on, when he is taken out of games. He’s understood the pitching plans that have been laid out for him and understood that his innings have had to be managed. This year should be no different.

“I know for a fact there’s going to be days where we are going to be inclined to want to get him out of there, in thinking about the longevity of the season and really what the big picture is, which is getting him in the postseason, something he hasn’t experienced yet, which means more innings,” Stottlemyre said. “We are going to have to balance that, but at the same time he is our horse. We have got to be smart. I have seen the other side where you push too early.”

For now, it’s watch, listen and learn.

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