CHARLESTON, WV – Between shoulder tightness and a concussion, Gage Hinsz has been limited to 72.1 innings since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2014. Mitch Keller, also drafted in 2014, has pitched almost that many innings in 2016 alone. Hinsz, however, has shown consistent growth despite his setbacks, and his development has mostly gone according to plan.
Hinsz made his debut for the West Virginia Power in early June and has had varying results. He immediately impressed when he went five shutout innings in his debut. In that appearance, Hinsz tied his then career high of six strikeouts.
“Gage had a solid outing in his debut,” said Power manager Brian Esposito. “As long as he continues to pitch [and] the Pirates want him to stay here and continue to develop at this level, that’s what we’ll do.”
In the past two years, Hinsz has had quite a bit of development to do within the Pirates organization. When drafted in the 11th round, he was named the best late-round pick by Baseball America, despite attending a high school that did not have a baseball program. Instead, Hinsz cut his teeth in the Billings American Legion league, leaving his talent raw and a bit untested.
Hinsz signed fairly late and appeared in only three games for the Gulf Coast League Pirates, where he scattered eight hits over his seven innings of professional ball.
That’s when the trouble started.
Hinsz spent 2015 in Bristol and struggled to start the year. He experienced some shoulder problems, and the pitching staff worked to correct his mechanics. His control varied wildly from start to start, but Hinsz ended the year with a string of solid appearances. In his last four starts in Bristol, Hinsz gave up no more than two runs in each.
Hinsz was taking steps in the right direction and showed up to Spring Training in 2016 ready to work.
“[The mechanics] were pretty much where they need to be,” he said. “It was just a matter of dialing in the control.”
Unfortunately, that development stalled when Hinsz suffered a concussion in a car accident.
The extra time in Extended Spring Training, recovering from the concussion and working on his control, allowed Hinsz to reflect on his approach to the game. Joining the West Virginia Power in early June, Hinsz brought three strong pitches and the confidence to throw all three in various situations.
“Last year I was really fastball heavy,” said Hinsz. “[I’m working on] the ability to use the off-speed better.”
The mixture of the finely tuned mechanics and additional training have strengthened Hinsz. In his five starts with the Power, he has gone at least five innings in each, averaging 80 pitches a night. Additionally, he has been mixing his fastball, curve, and circle change well.
Hinsz’s walk rate has decreased as well, and he throws a strike 62 percent of the time. In recent starts, Hinsz has touched 94 MPH with his fastball and has kept the pitch low in the zone.
If his control continues to improve, Hinsz will turn his attention to his high fly ball rate. He has a tendency to give up long, towering drives to the outfield. In 2016, he has already given up nine extra-base hits.
Despite the small sample size, Hinsz seems to be on the right track in his development. For now, though, he’s just glad to be healthy.
“I’m feeling better,” he said after his last start with the Power. “It’s a grind, obviously, but things are going well.”
