Left-handed pitcher Alex Wood had a breakout season for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017, being named an All-Star for the first time in his career.
Wood wasn’t even in the rotation to begin the season but wound up going 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA, 3.32 FIP and 1.06 WHIP while striking out 151 and walking 38 in 152.1 innings across 27 games (25 starts).
He will look to build off that breakout season in 2018, as he heads into Spring Training with a guaranteed spot in the rotation.
Looking for ways to continue to improve, Wood said that he will pitch exclusively out of the stretch in 2018 after having what he called an epiphany last September, via David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports:
Alex Wood said he had an “Epiphany” last September to pitch strictly out of the stretch. Wood is committed to pitching from the stretch all of 2018. #Dodgers
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) February 21, 2018
Starters pitching only out of the stretch is becoming a common theme in the big leagues today, as All-Stars like Stephen Strasburg and Yu Darvish have made the change in recent years.
Pitching out of the windup and out of the stretch is not that much different, but often times it can help a pitcher simplify his mechanics as there is not as much unnecessary movement.
Wood had more success when pitching out of the stretch in 2017, as hitters posted a .523 on-base plus slugging percentage against him with runners on base compared to .684 when the bases were empty.
This spring didn’t exactly get off to a good start for Wood as he turned his ankle on the first day of workouts doing calisthenics. The injury was not serious though as he is now back on track, throwing to live hitters for the first time on Wednesday.
