NEW YORK – Felipe Rivero’s first pitch on Friday night came in at 98.5 MPH. That was one of ten fastballs that he threw on the evening, and the slowest one of the night.
The next fastball was 100.6 MPH. Then 101.6. Then two more topping 101 MPH. Then a 100 MPH fastball that led to a lineout.
His next at-bat was a three pitch strikeout, with two 100 MPH fastballs (one at 100.9 MPH), and a 92 MPH changeup.
He finally got a groundout, throwing two 82 MPH sliders, then two fastballs at 100.8 and 100.7 MPH.
That kind of stuff is just nasty, and unfair to opposing hitters. When you can sit 100 MPH with your fastball — and Rivero has done that in three of his last four games — plus 90 MPH with the best changeup in the game, and a nasty low-80s slider, you’re going to be a dominant reliever. This has led to Rivero putting up an 0.63 ERA and a 2.89 xFIP, making him one of the top relievers in the game.
“The power is unique,” Pirates’ manager Clint Hurdle said after the game on Friday. “The combination to be able to throw the other two pitches with the command that he has is also what makes him special. I really haven’t had anybody with his skill set before.”
One of the big reasons for Rivero’s success this year is his lowered walk rate. He currently has a 1.88 BB/9, which is down from a 3.86 BB/9 rate last year. He’s not only showing nasty stuff, but he’s showing the ability to control that. Hurdle chalked this up to his mindset entering last offseason.
“In his exit interview last year, he talked about pitch efficiency, and reducing walks,” Hurdle said. “I have had a bunch of guys who have thrown hard, and walking guys was never a topic of discussion they brought to the table. It would be more a voice of concern from our side of it.”
I’ve covered a lot of players with the same velocity Rivero has. A lot of guys in the lower minors can never figure out the control aspect, and become just a good arm that washes out with bad control. Even some of the guys who make it to the upper levels don’t reach the upside you’d expect from their velocity. So how did Rivero become the rare guy who fixed his control?
“I think as with the case of anything, you’ve got to admit you’ve got a weakness,” Hurdle said. “A lot of guys I don’t think get to that part where they say ‘This is a problem. I need to get through this. This is hindering my career. This is hindering my opportunity to be the best I can be out of the bullpen. I need to make an adjustment along the way.'”
Hurdle said that Rivero had a mindset throughout the offseason, continuing into his flat ground work, his bullpens, and into the season. It largely came down to Rivero pitching for outs, rather than avoiding the habit of pitching to avoid walks.
“It’s not just about striking guys out.,” Hurdle said. “He’ll throw a 3-2 breaking ball. He’ll throw a 2-0 changeup. He has no concerns going to ball three. That’s another thing guys will hiccup on, they don’t want to get to three balls. It’s like a hitter getting to two strikes, the third strike is next. A pitcher gets to three balls, the fourth ball is next. He’s just kind of kicked that all to the curb. It goes back to playing to win versus playing not to lose. He’s pitching to get people out, not to not walk people.”
Rivero is turning into a special reliever, which is good for the Pirates, since they have him under control through the 2021 season. That gives them at least four more years of one of the best relievers in baseball. I could use this opportunity to discuss how the Pirates got a steal in the Mark Melancon deal, but I’ll let the mood in the clubhouse tell that story.
After that game on Friday, I entered the clubhouse for post-game interviews, and before I could go up to anyone, two veteran players called me over. They started asking me about the other lefty in the Rivero trade, wondering if he can throw as hard as Rivero.
That other lefty is Taylor Hearn, who can sit 96-98 MPH as a starter, and who may be able to hit higher as a reliever. The two players were already amazed with Rivero after that outing, and were impressed that there was another hard throwing lefty from that deal. The general feeling was that Hearn was just icing on the cake, which is pretty much the case when you look at what Rivero is doing.
Even without anything from Hearn, it’s a downright steal that the Pirates got Rivero from the Nationals for two months of Mark Melancon.
