Clevinger, Plutko Carve In Indians Intrasquads

GOODYEAR, Ariz.—If you saw the first inning of the Indians’ upper-level intrasquad on Thursday, you saw righthander Mike Clevinger, the organization’s reigning pitcher of the year, perform an experiment with his delivery.

If you watched the second inning, you saw the end of that experiment.

“The first inning was all fastballs, just kind of trying this new thing with my legs,” Clevinger said. “The second inning, I was back to just pitching. I just wanted to try it out to see how it felt.”

Normally, Clevinger begins his delivery with a step to the side. In the first inning Wednesday, he tried stepping back instead. The intent, he said, was to generate more momentum and force toward the plate.

The change was on a whim, rather than at the behest of any of his coaches, spurred by a session of catch.

“I was just throwing and I naturally did that on my own. It was kind of an accident. I was like ‘Whoa,” he said. “I felt rhythmic, and I had just two innings to work on stuff today, so I wanted to see how it felt.”

During his two innings, Clevinger’s stuff looked as crisp as ever. He started his arsenal with a 94-96 mph fastball and backed it up with a curveball in the low-70s and an above-average changeup in the low-80s.

He used the changeup to notch one his afternoon’s strikeouts, getting Jake Lowery to wave at back-to-back changes, the first at 86 mph and the second at 85.

Wednesday marked Clevinger’s first start on the back fields, but it wasn’t his first appearance of the spring. The righthander, taken by the Angels in the fourth round of the 2011 draft and then traded to Cleveland in 2014 for reliever Vinnie Pestano, pitched six innings over three appearances (one start) in the Cactus League before getting sent to minor league camp.

This year marked Clevinger’s first invitation to big league spring training, and his first outings in big league games. Needless to say, he was excited for the opportunity.

“The last outing I actually had a start against the Royals, so that one had me going,” he said. “I mean, knowing they’re the reigning champs and they basically had their (big league) lineup out there. It was a lot of fun.”

In his start against Kansas City, Clevinger allowed three runs (only one earned) on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Royals left fielder reached him for a home run in the first inning.

Even so, he didn’t leave the game hanging his head.

“I was basically trying to keep my smile from ear to ear (hidden) the whole time from when I was warming up to when to when I was out there,” he said. “It was different, definitely a lot faster pace.”

A week earlier he made his Cactus League debut against the White Sox, and on his first pitch he busted the bat of all-star third baseman Todd Frazier, Chicago’s headline acquisition this offseason.

“The first time I came out of the pen to get my two innings, it felt like the same game (as in the minor leagues) but it was definitely a bigger stage,” he said. “The second time I came out of the pen, I felt like I was at home, like I’d felt like I’d been there, done that.

“And then I got my first start and that was getting my feet wet in the starting realm so that was kind of back to square one.”

Besides his dynamic arsenal, Clevinger earns sport-wide raves for his untamed mop of brown hair. In the Indians’ system, Clevinger’s hair is rivaled only by outfielder Clint Frazier‘s famously fiery locks.

The most obvious comparison is to Mets ace Jacob deGrom, but Clevinger is confident his flow is superior.

“Yeah, I’ll go on record: I think I do,” Clevinger said with smirk. “I would like to say I do. I’d say it to his face because I’ve got a secret shampoo and conditioner that I can’t really reveal here.”

Clevinger stood firm when pressed about his mystery shampoo, but if he finds anywhere the same level of success as his hair twin in Queens you can be sure epresentatives from the brand will be on the phone looking for a major league endorsement.

PLUTKO’S PLACEMENT

Opposing Clevinger on Wednesday morning was another of the Indians’ stable of talented arms, Adam Plutko. The UCLA-bred righthander cut through high Class A Lynchburg and Double-A Akron last season, going a combined 13-7, 2.39 between the levels.

Ever the control artist, Plutko walked just 28 against 137 strikeouts in 166 innings last season.

On Wednesday, he continued to show that although he’ll never draw raves from his radar gun readings, he simply knows how to put the ball where hitters can’t reach.

His fastball topped out at 92 mph on Wednesday, but the pitch showed excellent life and was impeccably placed each time. He complemented the pitch with a mid-70s curveball and a low-80s changeup that featured more cutting action than sink.

He struck out the side in his second inning, including whiffs of the powerful Bobby Bradley (looking at a curve), catch Eric Haase and shortstop Dorssys Paulino (both swinging).

BACK FIELDS FILES

In the afternoon the Dodgers’ and Reds’ lower-level squads matched up at the Cincinnati complex, which just a short walk from the Cleveland complex.

Neither lineup was particularly prospect-heavy, but the Dodgers’ high Class A squad featured 17-year-old infielder Omar Estevez, who recently (along with righthander Yusniel Diaz) signed with Los Angeles for a bonus of $6 million.

Estevez notched one hit in four trips, an infield single he legged out when the third baseman’s throw was a little up the line. He then stole second and scored on a ground-rule double from Ariel Sandoval.

Otherwise, Estevez looked a bit overmatched. He swung late at average fastballs and hacked wildly at breaking pitches. He punched out twice in the game.