VIERA, Fla. — Sunday was a notable day for the young and old. For 38-year-old Bronson Arroyo, his first bullpen of the spring was a chance to see how his body would respond almost a year-and-a-half after Tommy John surgery. For 21-year-old Lucas Giolito, it was an opportunity for him to clear some anxiety.
Each Washington Nationals pitcher threw around 30 pitches in their first bullpen sessions of spring training. New pitching coach Mike Maddux watched keenly as did Dusty Baker, who rested on one knee right behind Giolito.
Arroyo is searching for feel. His fastball travels about 87 mph at this point in his career. It was never a large factor for him, even when he could crack 90 mph. So, everything for Arroyo is starts with touch. He didn’t have it the first time out.
“I will say though, in my entire career, one of the first two bullpens is usually terrible and you feel horrible,” Arroyo said. “So, hopefully the next one feels a little bit better. I was leaving the ball up and in a little bit. I’m predicated on feel, and I didn’t have a whole lot of feel yesterday. But, I haven’t been on the mound spinning a breaking ball in a really long time. I didn’t get to do that for almost 18 months. Some of the stuff, I’m going to have try to get that feel back.”
Since coming to camp, Arroyo has said the biggest question for him is if his body can work through pitching every fifth day. He’s using the bullpen to find his feel before turning to games for bigger answers.
“I think the real games coming up are going to give me a real indication if I’ve got enough left to perform,” Arroyo said.
Giolito said before his first bullpen that he wasn’t in camp to “wow” anyone. He ended up on the rubber closest to the viewing public, with Maddux, Baker and a crowd of other Nationals officials watching pitchers all day. Washington’s top prospect groaned with dissatisfaction when a couple of his pitches were off-target.
“I think, I wouldn’t say rushing, but, it was my first big league bullpen,” Giolito said. “A lot of eyes were on me. I guess I was a little bit anxious. I wanted to keep throwing, keep throwing. That’s part of it. You’ve got to learn to slow down and make one pitch at a time.”
Social media showed Giolito some positive things, though. He watched video posted by reporters, and said he was happy with his arm action and the downhill plane of his pitches. He was also pleased with his off-speed pitches.
One thing Giolito is working on during spring training are exercises to open up his hips.
“I feel like that that’s a thing a lot of guys are doing right now,” Giolito said. “When you can open up your hips and have them very mobile, then you’re able to rotate more efficiently. It’s better for your arm. And, you’ll also be more consistent. Some guys might even throw harder because of that.”
Arroyo and Giolito are back in the bullpen Tuesday. Both will be looking for more comfort.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.