Otto: Cubs have something special in Hendricks
With 8 wins and an ERA of 2.41, Kyle Hendricks is putting together quite a year for the Cubs. Against the Texas Rangers on Friday, Hendricks kicked off the Cubs' second half with 6 innings of scoreless work against one of the better offenses in the American League. Joe Maddon alluded to just how good Hendricks has been by indicating in Friday's post-game conference that he has been one of the better pitchers in the National League.
Hendricks does not throw 95 mph and he does not have a nasty cutter or breaking ball. However, what he does have is a sinking fastball that looks like it falls off a table and a changeup that puts the brakes on halfway to home plate. His arsenal of stuff is different, which makes it refreshing to see that pitchers can thrive without throwing 94 mph.
There are so many pitchers in today's game that throw gas.
The Cleveland Indians used to have a radar gun in their dugout at old Municipal Stadium in the early 90s. I only saw two starting pitchers throw consistently above 90 mph, Roger Clemens and Bret Saberhagen.
While radar guns have changed, and readings might be a little juiced up, pitchers just throw harder now. With all this velocity, the pendulum has swung a little more in the pitchers favor.
Yet today's hitters are that much quicker and stronger, too. They can catch up to that 95 mph heater. And the more a hitter sees 95 mph, the more likely he is to get adjusted to that kind of velocity. Facing Hendricks, hitters have to adjust the other way. They are just not used to facing a 88 mph fastball with that much sink.
Hendricks doesn't throw a sinker. He throws something different, a "turbo" sinker. Cubs catcher Willson Contreras boxed or mishandled a couple of pitches that Hendricks threw on Friday. In defense of Contreras, this is a whole new staff that he has to get accustomed to, and he will only get better with time. Contreras' struggle to catch or frame a few of Hendricks' pitches does indicate just how much late movement Hendricks has on his pitches.
As long as it doesn't lead to runs, I imagine it has be a pretty good feeling for Hendricks, or any other pitcher, when a catcher struggles on a few pitches. It sure beats the alternative. Former catcher and Cubs coach Matt Sinatro once asked me if he needed to use his glove in catching me, or could he just use a pair of tweezers.
Hendricks' challenges are similar to what every other pitcher encounters in a league of really good hitters. The more times a hitter sees him, the more comfortable hitters will be with adjustments.
The Rangers on Friday, had never faced Hendricks and it was evident. There were some funny swings at some pitches and they chased others out of the zone.
Over time hitters will try and lay off swinging at his sinking fastball down. And if Hendricks isn't getting strike calls on those pitches down in the zone, he will have to try and elevate his sinker. High sinkers tend to get hit a long way and that's where he will have to continue to keep hitter's off-balance with his change-up.
Hendricks' demeanor on the mound is close to stoic. It's difficult to tell by looking at him on the mound whether he is up 5 runs, or down 5. The "turbo" sinker and changeup require some touch and the calm, aggressive approach appears to be working well for him.
There will be games where that touch will not be there. But overall, Hendricks' has something that is different, and that is a big plus for the Cubs.
• Dave Otto, a standout athlete at Elk Grove High School, pitched from 1987-1994 for four MLB teams, including the Cubs. A former baseball analyst for WGN Radio, FoxSportsNet and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Otto also is a member of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame.