Varsho slowing down to get quicker behind plate

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Daulton Varsho was the D-backs' pick in the 2017 Draft’s Competitive Balance Round B, taken No. 68 overall. After a strong summer debut in the short-season Northwest League, the D-backs’ No. 4 prospect had a solid first full season in the California League, though it was interrupted by a broken hamate. The athletic backstop was able to make up for some lost at-bats in the Arizona Fall League and earned a non-roster invitation to big league camp this spring.

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One of the main things scouts thought Varsho needed to work on most coming out of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was his throwing behind the plate. He’s already made good progress, having thrown out 39.5 percent of potential base stealers in 2018, but he continues to work hard with coaches like Robby Hammock on his throwing.

“Everything about my game I have to keep improving,” Varsho said. “Throwing was a really big thing, just learning how my timing and rhythm with being able to transfer the ball, just to slow it down so my transfer can be clean and quick and I can have an accurate throw.”

That might sound counter-intuitive, slowing down to be quicker, but Varsho’s tendency to rush his throws has been one of his biggest areas of focus.

“That’s my problem, I speed up way too much where I kind of jumble and my arm tries to catch up,” Varsho said. “Now it’s just slowing down a little bit to where I can have a quicker transfer and a really good throw.”

Varsho has worked to change where he puts his throwing hand as a pitch comes in. Catchers are taught when young to put that hand behind their back, and that’s what Varsho did as he started his pro career. Now he’s brought it around front to help him speed up that transfer without him feeling like he’s rushing to get to it.

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That, plus a little movement of his hand, has helped him find a smoother transfer and, as he put it, a good throwing rhythm to make consistently accurate throws.

Varsho has learned to set up differently depending on if it’s a fastball, breaking ball or offspeed pitch coming. There are very subtle adjustments he makes, and not every catcher has the same approach, especially when dealing with pitches that come off the plate to his glove side.

Varsho has greatly cleaned up his throwing mechanics since he’s joined the D-backs organization. With his throwing hand behind his back, he struggled with consistently getting the ball to his hand and his arm back to where it needed be smoothly and quickly. It’s a big instance of him slowing down enough to be able to speed up his release without getting off-balance.

With his hand in front and his emphasis on transferring in the middle of his body, Varsho is now transferring and throwing more consistently than ever.