Comfortable Kikuchi showing his potential

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When a player joins a new team there is a get-to-know-you period. It’s a time where the coaches watch, take stock, and make small suggestions. They do more listening than talking. Then, once there is a relationship and trust built, the real adjustments can be made.

When Yusei Kikuchi reported to camp, the Jays staff knew they needed to build a trusting relationship with their new lefty. The reports out of Seattle, where Kikuchi pitched for three seasons, indicated that there was a disconnect between him and the Mariners staff.

Kikuchi is an analytics darling despite not having produced at an elite level. As a free agent, clubs loved his stuff and thought that if he cleaned up his mechanics and sequencing of pitches, he could harness his potential.

The Jays saw the same potential, and in many ways, thought that he could be the next Robbie Ray. Ray had always had good stuff that he couldn’t quite command and locate. But Jays pitching coach Pete Walker was able to connect with Ray and get him to make the necessary adjustments and then buy in. Walker hoped to do the same thing with Kikuchi. 

The 30-year-old starter’s first several outings were merely mediocre. He didn’t throw enough strikes and had plenty of runners on the bases. But he has been excellent over his past three starts. Kikuchi is 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA in May, allowing six hits and seven walks in 17.1 innings while striking out 20. The hard work he has done with Walker has cleaned up his delivery and created a trusting relationship that has allowed Kikuchi to dramatically change his pitch selection and sequencing.

Last season, Kikuchi threw his four-seam fastball on 37.5 per cent of the time, this season he uses it 51 per cent of the