Magill's 'attack mentality' leading to results

In a Mariners bullpen filled with promising young arms, Matt Magill qualifies as one of the old guys at age 30. But that doesn’t mean the right-hander with the big moustache isn’t beyond developing his own career.

Magill wears the “journeyman” tag as a Major League reliever, having pitched for five organizations since breaking into the big leagues in 2013 with the Dodgers. He’s since undergone Tommy John surgery, been traded twice and released three times.

But since being acquired by the Mariners in a cash trade after being designated for assignment last July by the Twins, something seems to have clicked for Magill. He’s been Seattle’s best reliever so far this season, allowing only one hit in seven scoreless innings over seven outings.

While Magill has a 4.31 career ERA over 108 outings, he has a 1.88 ERA with 31 strikeouts and seven walks in 24 innings over 25 outings for Seattle since Aug. 8, 2019.

“I think it’s a mentality,” Magill said. “It’s more of an attack mentality, just going right at hitters. I’m not really concerned about results, just more process driven. I know I’ve worked as hard as anyone in the game to get where I am, and every day I come to compete. I just feel great when I get out there and it becomes fun and it’s play time.”

Magill said that after joining the Mariners he realized he needed to assume that more aggressive approach on the mound and, “I’ve just taken that and run with it.”

The Mariners were impressed enough by Magill's mid-90s fastball and quality slider/curveball combination that they moved him into the closer’s role at the end of last season, and he saved five games down the stretch.

Magill dealt with a shoulder issue during Spring Training that finally cleared up in time to make his first Cactus League appearance on the day camps were shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Magill said the shoulder issue cropped back up during the shutdown while he was working out at his home in Phoenix, and he’s just now regaining his fastball velocity, which has averaged 92.1 mph, down from last year’s 95.2.

“It’s been a battle to get it back,” Magill said. “My velocity is still not where I want it to be, but everything else has come along great. I’m recovering better now, and ever since Summer Camp, it’s been a steady incline. So, we’re on the way up, and it feels good.”

Partly as a result of the down tick in velocity, Magill has leaned more on his slider, throwing it 41.7 percent of the time this year, up from 18.8 percent in 2019, according to Statcast.

“I’m throwing it until they show they can hit it,” Magill said. “Right now, it feels good, and I feel like I can throw it any place I want to. I’m excited it’s working for me. The slider and curveball have always my bread and butter. Throwing hard, throwing fastballs is great, but if you can throw a breaking ball off those fastballs, that’s what makes the great pitchers in this league. For me, being able to throw those more consistently for strikes has been my goal, and so far, it’s worked.”

Magill has pitched anytime between the fifth and ninth innings in a Mariners bullpen that doesn’t have any set roles (“My role is to get outs,” he said), and he struck out the side in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Rangers.

“I’m really happy for Matt,” manager Scott Servais said. “He has two awesome breaking balls. He throws the curveball hard down, and the slider with it. We haven’t seen the velocity we saw sometimes last year, but the command of his breaking balls and the late bite to it is really effective. And he’s throwing them for strikes.

“He continues to roll along. It’s good to see. We’re going to need him as this season goes along.”