Michael McGreevy and the Art of Pitching

The Cardinal Chronicle
Michael McGreevy and the Art of Pitching
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Michael McGreevy is not a flamethrower, and that may be exactly why he has become so effective.

In a modern game obsessed with velocity, spin rates, extension, chase percentages and every other number that can make a baseball fan feel as if he wandered into a NASA briefing, McGreevy's success comes back to something much older and much easier to understand.

He pitches.

There is a difference between throwing and pitching, and McGreevy has been showing that difference every fifth day. He is not trying to blow hitters away with 98 mph fastballs at the top of the zone. He is changing speeds, moving the ball, mixing his pitches, working ahead and keeping hitters from getting comfortable.
That sounds old-school because it is.

No, McGreevy is not Greg Maddux. No one is handing out Hall of Fame comparisons in May. But the style has a familiar feel. Maddux made a career out of reminding hitters that pitching is not just about how hard a pitcher throws. It is about what the hitter thinks is coming, where he thinks it is going, and how late he realizes he was wrong.

McGreevy operates in that same spirit.

He works with a deep pitch mix, using his fastball, sinker, changeup, cutter, breaking balls and different shapes to keep hitters guessing. The key is not one overpowering pitch. The key is that hitters rarely get the same look twice.

One pitch runs. One fades. One changes speed. One stays on the corner. One looks hittable long enough to pull the swing out of the hitter, then disappears just enough to miss the barrel.

That is why the stat line has been so strong.

McGreevy has limited baserunners, kept his WHIP among the best in the league and held opposing hitters to a low batting average. Those numbers tell the story in plain English: He is not giving teams free traffic, and he is making hitters earn what they get.

There are still caution signs under the hood. Statcast suggests some of the contact against him has been harder than the ERA would indicate, meaning there may be some correction coming if he starts missing over the middle of the plate. McGreevy does not have the kind of overpowering stuff that allows him to get away with repeated mistakes.

But that is also part of what makes him interesting.

His margin for error may be smaller than a power pitcher’s, but his approach is sharper. He has to think with the hitter. He has to stay unpredictable. He has to pitch to locations, change eye levels and trust movement more than muscle.

And right now, it is working.

For the average fan, forget the overload of red dots, blue dots, percentiles and expected statistics for a moment. The game itself has not changed as much as the way people explain it has changed.

Michael McGreevy is effective because he is doing the oldest things in baseball well.

He throws strikes.
He changes speeds.
He keeps the ball moving.
He avoids unnecessary walks.
He makes hitters uncomfortable.
He lets his defense work.

And most importantly, he understands that pitching is still about disrupting timing.

That is why McGreevy has been so valuable to the Cardinals. He may not light up the radar gun, but he gives them innings, poise, command, and a real chance to win.

In today’s game, that kind of pitcher can get overlooked.

In St. Louis, it ought to be appreciated.

At the Cardinal Chronicle, it is.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
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