Eyes, not iPads, sparked Priester’s turnaround with Brewers
MILWAUKEE — When the Brewers traded for right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester on April 7, it felt like a desperate move by a team that was beset by injuries to the pitching staff.
It turned out to be pure genius. The Cary-Grove High School grad and first-round pick of the Pirates in 2019, found his groove in Milwaukee. Priester is 9-2 with a 3.28 ERA in 19 appearances with the Brewers and is set to face Colin Rea and the Cubs on Tuesday.
The Brewers have been renowned for pitching development, which helps keeps them in the playoffs as a small-market team. Priester hadn't had much success with the Pirates, a 6.46 ERA over two seasons. He was traded to Boston last July and pitching at Triple-A Worcester when Milwaukee made the deal.
So Priester knows firsthand about how the Brewers can set a pitcher on the right path. Their pitching coach Chris Hook has been on the job since the 2019 season.
And the explanation is a bit surprising, considering this is the era of pitch labs, spin rate and heavy analytics.
“I just feel like we play baseball here, man,” Priester said in the Milwaukee clubhouse. “Like, we play the game and we don't pitch to the computer. In the past we've had coaches holding an iPad and (saying), 'Hey, this thing's going to tell me if that was good or not.'
“Hooky's not holding an iPad. He's sitting there off to the side and watching me and watching my body and saying, 'This is what I'm seeing.' He's really good at what he does, so a lot of times he doesn't even need to see the plate to know what's happening. So I feel like it's resonated with me more.”
Priester said the Brewers identified what he does well and tried to emphasize those things. He's not a big strikeout guy, although 7.6 per 9 innings is respectable. He's in the 95th percentile in MLB with a 56.4% ground ball rate, while opposing batters are below .200 on both his curve and slider. His sinker averages 93.8 miles per hour.
“I want contact,” he said. “It's not super stuff or strikeouts here. I feel like we dove into that to where in a bullpen, in a work session, the good and bad isn't dictated by what the iPad says. It's what the eyes say.”
Priester has faced the Cubs twice — once with Pittsburgh, once in Milwaukee — and posted a 9.58 ERA. His teams used an opener both times, so Tuesday should be his first official start against his hometown squad.
His fifth appearance with the Brewers was against the Cubs in Milwaukee and the result was a 10-0 loss. How were the nerves that night?
“I'm always nervous, nervous before every game,” Priester said. “I don't eat a lot before games. I just try to focus on the hydration things; understand I'm going to have plenty of energy when you throw a big league game, let alone the Cubs. It's just one of those things where you can use those nerves for good.”
And obviously, change can be good. A year ago this week, Priester was beyond frustrated and about to be sent to Red Sox Triple-A.
“A lot can change in a year. You never know,” he said. “It all kind of starts with people believing in you, because the results weren't there.”