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The reliever is another cog in the dynamic and talented Cyclones bullpen. After a brief, rough stay with St. Lucie earlier this year, he was sent to Brooklyn to iron out his delivery with the hope that he could match his performance with the team in 2006.
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After striking out 47 hitters and holding down a more than modest 3.34 ERA with Brooklyn last season, the Mets organization recommended reliever Grady Hinchman change his delivery, despite his successes.
Going from a more overhand style to something that looks more like a hybrid three-quarter or sidearm delivery, immediate success did not look like it was in the cards for the hard-throwing southpaw. However, Hinchman has responded well to the change this season and has been an integral part of the team’s bullpen despite limited appearances.
Used more in long relief this season than last year, when he was the team’s setup man for most of the year, Hinchman has held opposing hitters to a .221 batting average with 25 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings pitched this season.
“It’s been a good year,” said Hinchman. “I’ve made a transformation with my new arm angle. It’s been a tough process overall, but I think I’ve made it out ok and I’m pitching well.”
Rather than complain about the change the organization felt Hinchman needed to make, the 26-year-old lefty has tried to make the most of it.
“A bunch of the people in the organization didn’t think I was getting the movement on my pitches that most lefties get naturally,” said Hinchman. “So, the rovers told me to toy with a new delivery and after a little while, I could notice that my pitches were getting much more movement. Finding consistency with this new angle has been tough, but I think I got it down now.”
Understanding that his new delivery would be the key to any success he would have this season, Hinchman started his work extremely early this year. Eager to prove the critics wrong and show that he still has the talent to make it in the big leagues, even at 26-years old, Hinchman has responded marvelously.
“I moved down to St. Lucie on the 15th of January,” said Hinchman, who has a 2.28 ERA this season with Brooklyn. “I was working with people from the organization all winter. I was two months ahead of everybody else as far as really nailing down our program. Me and my wife really didn’t have anything holding us down in Indiana, so we decided to make the commitment to baseball and I think it’s paid off so far.”
Helping Hinchman continue to set himself apart from the crowd is his intelligence on and off the field. While he has a plus fastball now, Hinchman understands that he has to continue to learn new pitches in order to keep his arsenal as deadly as possible. That alone makes up for his age.
“I’m always working on my changeup and it’s a hard pitch to throw sidearm,” said Hinchman. “Nevertheless, I’m going to keep working on it until I master it. Also, before this year, I never really threw a slider and this year, it’s become a really fun pitch for me because I can use it to get guys out or to expand the strike zone if I have to. However, my main agenda is continuing to try to get as much sink action on my fastball.”
While Hinchman’s intelligence and hard working attitude makes him a steady arm in the organization, his patience may be the redeeming factor that keeps him in the organization for years to come.
“I know what my situation is right now and I understand I have to be patient. The organization is trying to take things slow with me so I get used to this new delivery. I understand I’m going through a transition and they want me to get comfortable out there,” he said.
“I know why when the game is close that I’m not the guy out there, because that’s not the time for me to try and find my comfort. They’re going to make sure that when I come into games that if I’m not comfortable, it’s not going to be the reason why we lose a game.”
However, despite not getting the playing time he did last season, when he was nicknamed “Bulldog” by former Cyclones manager George Greer, Hinchman has still set some goals for himself this season and is ready to be called upon at any time. With that being said, it is safe to say that Hinchman still has plenty of bite left in his game.
“I want to keep my ERA low, my strikeouts high and have as many appearances as possible,” said Hinchman. “I want to make sure that I limit the offense from right-handed hitters and try and limit my walks. If I can do that, I’ll be a happy guy.”
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