What has pitching coach Willis seen this spring?

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- There may be a lot of questions for the Guardians to answer before Spring Training ends in two weeks, but there’s one thing we know for sure: Pitching will need to be their strength yet again.

Who has made the biggest strides? Who left lasting impressions? Pitching coach Carl Willis addressed all of this and more prior to Cleveland’s matchup against the Cubs on Wednesday.

The topic: Who are you looking at for late innings?
The skinny: The Guardians will likely have to start the year without James Karinchak (shoulder fatigue) and Trevor Stephan (bruised elbow). That means other candidates will need to prove they can handle the high-leverage frames.
Willis: “Truthfully, it all comes back to your willingness to attack the strike zone. Throwing strikes with the best stuff you can command. Not necessarily your best stuff on Trackman, but the best stuff you can command. … We want guys to either have the ability to pitch multiple innings or conserve their pitches, get the job done so you can come back again tomorrow. I think big picture, we’re kind of looking for all those things. It takes some maturity. That doesn’t mean it takes age, but it takes some maturity as a player to have that kind of confidence.”

The topic: Tim Herrin’s growth
The skinny: When it comes to those open bullpen spots, Herrin being a lefty with some Major League experience certainly makes him a candidate. He’ll have some things to prove in the final weeks of camp to make that happen, but his growth since his first spring last year could help.
Willis: “I think he’s a lot more confident. I think that he has been able to simplify his approach. We sat down with him very early in camp and showed him numbers of when he starts a count 0-1 compared to when he starts a count 1-0 and the separation was huge. So we’ve started this camp basically with just challenging him 0-0, we’re attacking the zone. … I feel like we’re kind of seeing a guy stand on the mound and there’s a lot more maturity in terms of the thought process. He looks like, ‘I’m gonna get this guy out’ as opposed to, ‘Maybe I hope I get this guy out.’”

The topic: Shane Bieber’s improvements
The skinny: Bieber went into the offseason ready to improve a number of things, but his velocity was at the top of the list. After spending time at Driveline, his hard work has been on full display during Cactus League outings.
Willis: “I think obviously the first thing that shows itself is there has been an uptick in velocity. … Once he started to accomplish that, it kind of led into some things improving that maybe you didn’t anticipate or as he started to get some power back to the curveball and just now with the finish to his fastball, kind of finding a place for maybe another secondary pitch to be part of the game plan.”

The topic: Triston McKenzie’s return to the mound
The skinny: McKenzie made just four starts in 2023 due to teres major muscle and elbow troubles. From what he’s shown so far this spring, you wouldn’t have any idea that he’s recovering from such a grueling year.
Willis: “He actually reached his highest velocities I think in the third inning of work [on Monday]. He has no symptoms, no issues with anything. His slider has been, I think, very much improved during Spring Training, particularly taking into account the atmosphere in Arizona. … I think he’s probably been better than, personally, I thought he’d be at this point in Spring Training. I would have taken where he’s at now at the beginning of the regular season.”

The topic: Franco Aleman’s strong impression
The skinny: There’s always a young guy who stands out in camp. When it comes to relievers, the 6-foot-6 Aleman was him, tossing three scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
Willis: “That guy’s got stuff. I mean, he’s an imposing figure on the mound. He competes. He has a high intensity about him. And he has electric stuff. He’s what you look for in terms of guys to pitch leverage innings toward the back of a bullpen. … He was sent out yesterday, but basically that goal is to be more consistent, not only with strike throwing but just the quality of your misses, as well. He’s got Major League stuff.”