Shane McClanahan from da Tampa Bay Rays wen start las season’s All-Star Game an’ he stay 7-0. His mastahy of four supah pitches can make tings seem “impossible.” ??♂️?
Only five starting pitchers in da Major League Baseball average 97 miles per hour wit dea fastballs. All of dem throw dat pitch mo’ den half da time, except fo’ Shane McClanahan of da Tampa Bay Rays. He get plenny oddah options. ??⚾️
“Ha’d fo’ be on time fo’ 97, 87, 86, 82,” McClanahan wen say on Tursday, by his locker in da visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, listing da typical velocity readings fo’ his fastball, slider, changeup an’ curveball. ?️??
“Dis one tough game, braddah, an’ da hittas around da league deserve plenny credit. Cuz wat dey do, it seem impossible. I look around dis room in hea, I see all dese guys wit dis elite stuff, an’ it’s like, ‘How you hit dat?’ It make me realize, ‘Wow, I lucky I one pitcha.’” ???
McClanahan, 26, he one of da bes. He goin’ take da mound in da Bronx on Saturday wit a 7-0 record an’ a 1.76 earned run average, da ace of a Rays team dat wen reach 30 victories fasta den any team in nearly four decades. ?⏱️?️
He do it wit da mos varied an’ dominant arsenal of any pitcha in da game. In a start las month against da Chicago White Sox, McClanahan wen cause 32 misses among 49 swings fo’ a 65.3 percent whiff rate, da bes single-game mark since M.L.B. started tracking such data in 2008. He throws each of his four pitches at least 14 percent of da time, blending da cunning of a magician wit da force of a puncha. ???
“He get probably as good a four-pitch mix as you goin’ see from any starta in baseball,” said Kyle Snyder, da Rays’ pitching coach. “You take da quality repertoire he get, you mix all four pitches in da zone befo’ two strikes to maintain unpredictability, you control da count — an’ den you do your bes’ to go fo’ da kill shot.” ???
Through Tursday, only one pitcha in da majors — Atlanta’s Spencer Strider — wen get mo’ swings an’ misses dan McClanahan dis season. Da Rays knew McClanahan could be ha’d fo’ hit wen dey drafted him 31st overall, in 2018, from da University of South Florida. Dey nevah envision dis kine of polish. ???
“Da general thought was: big arm, throws 100, no really know where it’s going,” said Peter Bendix, da Rays’ general manager. “When you get one college pitcha who’s a first-round pick but not at da top of da draft, dey usually throwing 89 an’ getting everyone out, or throwing 100 an’ not getting dat many guys out. Had plenny bullpen risk: two pitches, high walk rate, high strikeout rate.” ???
But dat no da kine pitcha McClanahan like fo’ be. Even do’ his favorite playah was one shortstop, Cal Ripken Jr. — McClanahan, who wen born in Baltimore, wea No. 18 cuz Ripken wen wea 8 — he wen admire pitchas like Cliff Lee an’ Greg Maddux, who wen mastahs of efficiency. ?⚾️?
“Maddux no might been da most overwhelming pitcha in da world, but da guy knew how fo’ pitch,” McClanahan wen say. “He knew how fo’ sequence, knew how fo’ change eye levels an’ speeds — inside, outside, up, down. Das art.” ????
McClanahan wen touch 94 miles an hour as one seniah at Cape Coral High School in Florida, good enough fo’ be drafted by da Mets in da 26th round in 2015. He was open fo’ signing, he wen say, but woulda taken $500,000 — far above da typical bonus fo’ such a low round — an’ maybe no woulda turned out all good. ??️?
At U.S.F., McClanahan wen struggle at times wit health (Tommy John surgery), control (five walks per nine innings) an’ managing his emotions (“When tings wen get fast,” Bendix wen say, “he jus’ wen try fo’ throw 150 miles an hour”). By da time da Rays wen draft him, he was ready fo’ pro ball an’ climbed three levels in da farm system in his first full season. ?⏫?
Aftah dat 2019 season, McClanahan wen reward himself by buying one ticket to one division series game at Tropicana Field. It was da first postseason game he evah wen go, an’ da Rays wen hold off elimination by beating Justin Verlander an’ da Houston Astros. Da Rays wen take da tarps off da upper deck, an’ da crowd wen inspire dea Class AA lefty sitting 20 rows up from first base. ??️?
“It was funny, cuz it was in dat moment dat I was like: ‘Man, I need it, I need fo’ do dis, I need fo’ get hea,'” McClanahan wen say. “It was surreal. Da fans, da energy, it was unmatched.” ???
One year latah, McClanahan would be part of da team. He wen spend da pandemic-shortened 2020 season at da team’s alternate training site in Port Charlotte, Fla., an’ wen get one surprise call to da playoff roster befo’ he wen throw one pitch above Class AA. ?⚾️?
He wen tink it was one prank — “I was like, ‘Wea’s da camera?'” McClanahan wen say — but da Rays liked da idea of unleashing one little-known flamethrowa on da playoff stage. McClanahan wen become da first pitcha evah fo’ make his major league debut in da postseason, relieving in four games, including one time in da World Series. ???
Da nex season — armed wit a slider he wen pick up in one bullpen session, Snyder wen say — McClanahan wen go 10-6 an’ earned da Rays ’ only victory in a four-game playoff loss to Boston. In 2022, he wen use one bettah changeup fo’ help earn one start in da All-Star Game in Los Angeles. He might do ’em again dis July in Seattle. ?⭐?️
“He’s determined fo’ keep getting bettah,” said Zach Eflin, one veteran Rays starter. “Every single pitch dat he get is tremendously nasty an’ extremely hard, an’ every outing it feels like he changes it up a little bit, so he’s always evolving. He no jus’ go out wit one stock kine of plan.” ???
Da Rays get one knack fo’ using advanced data fo’ underscore old-time wisdom, like da classic advice to one wild pitcha: throw strikes, Babe Ruth’s dead. In oddah words, hitters are mortal, an’ one talented, fearless pitcha going always get da edge. ???
“Da main ting dey did was show me how many times I’ve been victimized on balls down da middle, an’ it’s a surprisingly low amount of times,” said Drew Rasmussen, who wen stymie da Yankees fo’ seven innings on Thursday. “Hitting’s really, really hard. So if you can continue to attack da strike zone, you get one pretty good chance of success.” ⚾️??
McClanahan’s walk rate is up dis year, but hitters stay jus’ as helpless as always, with a .194 average against him, da same as last season. Dat figure falls even lowah in at-bats dat end wit a changeup. ???
Tucked deeper in his hand dis season fo’ reduce spin an’ drop like a splitter, da pitch been a revelation. Hitters swing an’ miss at mo’ den half of McClanahan’s changeups, according to Statcast, an’ their average against it is .140. He throws it about a quartah of da time — enough fo’ be effective an’ reliable, but not enough fo’ be familiar, jus’ like how he do with da fastball, slider an’ curve. ?⚾️?
“Any given night, something might not feel like it’s dea,” McClanahan wen say. “It jus’ comes back to being able to trust it. Even if you no feel like you get it, jus’ continue fo’ throw it. Trust da grip, trust da movement pattern of it an’ trust da guys behind you.” ???
In dat way, McClanahan might be da best example of da essence of da Rays: trust da coaches, trust da data, trust yoself. In dat spirit of collaboration, McClanahan — who no can be a free agent until aftah da 2027 season — like stick around a while. ???
“I love da guys around me, I love my organization, an’ I love Tampa,” he wen say. “I mean, how lucky I am to be able to pitch in front of my friends an’ family an’ to be in a place that’s home for me? I hope I get to do it for a long time. ❤️??
NOW IN ENGLISH
?♂️⚾️? Batters Have No Clue What’s Coming Next
Shane McClanahan of the Tampa Bay Rays started last season’s All-Star Game and he’s currently 7-0. His mastery of four superb pitches can make things seem ‘impossible.’ ??♂️?
Only five starting pitchers in Major League Baseball average 97 miles per hour with their fastballs. All of them throw that pitch more than half the time, except for Shane McClanahan of the Tampa Bay Rays. He has plenty of other options. ??⚾️
“It’s hard to time 97, 87, 86, 82,” McClanahan said on Thursday, by his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, listing the typical velocity readings for his fastball, slider, changeup, and curveball. ?️??
“This is a tough game, brother, and the hitters around the league deserve a lot of credit. What they do, it seems impossible. I look around this room in here, I see all these guys with this elite stuff, and it’s like, ‘How do you hit that?’ It makes me realize, ‘Wow, I’m lucky I’m a pitcher.’” ???
McClanahan, 26, is one of the best. He’s going to take the mound in the Bronx on Saturday with a 7-0 record and a 1.76 earned run average, the ace of a Rays team that reached 30 victories faster than any team in nearly four decades. ?⏱️?️
He does it with the most varied and dominant arsenal of any pitcher in the game. In a start last month against the Chicago White Sox, McClanahan caused 32 misses among 49 swings for a 65.3 percent whiff rate, the best single-game mark since M.L.B. started tracking such data in 2008. He throws each of his four pitches at least 14 percent of the time, blending the cunning of a magician with the force of a puncher. ???
“He probably has as good a four-pitch mix as you’re going to see from any starter in baseball,” said Kyle Snyder, the Rays’ pitching coach. “You take the quality repertoire he has, you mix all four pitches in the zone before two strikes to maintain unpredictability, you control the count — and then you do your best to go for the kill shot.” ???
Through Thursday, only one pitcher in the majors — Atlanta’s Spencer Strider — had more swings and misses than McClanahan this season. The Rays knew McClanahan could be hard to hit when they drafted him 31st overall, in 2018, from the University of South Florida. They never envisioned this kind of polish. ???
“The general thought was: big arm, throws 100, doesn’t really know where it’s going,” said Peter Bendix, the Rays’ general manager. “When you get a college pitcher who’s a first-round pick but not at the top of the draft, they’re usually throwing 89 and getting everyone out, or throwing 100 and not getting that many guys out. There was a lot of bullpen risk: two pitches, high walk rate, high strikeout rate.” ???
But that’s not the kind of pitcher McClanahan wanted to be. Even though his favorite player was a shortstop, Cal Ripken Jr. McClanahan, who was born in Baltimore, wears No. 18 because Ripken wore 8 — he admired pitchers like Cliff Lee and Greg Maddux, who were masters of efficiency. ?⚾️?
“Maddux might not have been the most overpowering pitcher in the world, but the guy knew how to pitch,” McClanahan said. “He knew how to sequence, knew how to change eye levels and speeds — inside, outside, up, down. That’s art.” ????
McClanahan hit 94 miles an hour as a senior at Cape Coral High School in Florida, good enough to be drafted by the Mets in the 26th round in 2015. He was open to signing, he said, but would have taken $500,000 — far above the typical bonus for such a low round — and maybe it wouldn’t have turned out all good. ??️?
At U.S.F., McClanahan sometimes struggled with health (Tommy John surgery), control (five walks per nine innings) and managing his emotions (“When things got fast,” Bendix said, “he just tried to throw 150 miles an hour”). By the time the Rays drafted him, he was ready for pro ball and climbed three levels in the farm system in his first full season. ?⏫?
After that 2019 season, McClanahan rewarded himself by buying a ticket to a division series game at Tropicana Field. It was the first postseason game he ever attended, and the Rays held off elimination by beating Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros. The Rays took the tarps off the upper deck, and the crowd inspired their Class AA lefty sitting 20 rows up from first base. ??️?
“It was funny, because it was in that moment that I was like: ‘Man, I need this, I need to do this, I need to get here,'” McClanahan said. “It was surreal. The fans, the energy, it was unmatched.” ???
One year later, McClanahan would be part of the team. He spent the pandemic-shortened 2020 season at the team’s alternate training site in Port Charlotte, Fla., and got a surprise call to the playoff roster before he had thrown a pitch above Class AA. ?⚾️?
He thought it was a prank — “I was like, ‘Where’s the camera?'” McClanahan said — but the Rays liked the idea of unleashing a little-known flamethrower on the playoff stage. McClanahan became the first pitcher ever to make his major league debut in the postseason, relieving in four games, including one time in the World Series. ???
The next season — armed with a slider he picked up in a bullpen session, Snyder said — McClanahan went 10-6 and earned the Rays’ only victory in a four-game playoff loss to Boston. In 2022, he used a better changeup to help earn a start in the All-Star Game in Los Angeles. He might do it again this July in Seattle. ?⭐?️
“He’s determined to keep getting better,” said Zach Eflin, a veteran Rays starter. “Every single pitch that he has is tremendously nasty and extremely hard, and every outing it feels like he changes it up a little bit, so he’s always evolving. He doesn’t just go out with a standard plan.” ?
The Rays have a knack for using advanced data to underscore old-time wisdom, like the classic advice to a wild pitcher: throw strikes, Babe Ruth’s dead. In other words, hitters are mortal, and a talented, fearless pitcher will always have the edge. ???
“The main thing they did was show me how many times I’ve been victimized on balls down the middle, and it’s a surprisingly low amount of times,” said Drew Rasmussen, who stymied the Yankees for seven innings on Thursday. “Hitting’s really, really hard. So if you can continue to attack the strike zone, you have a pretty good chance of success.” ⚾️??
McClanahan’s walk rate is up this year, but hitters are just as helpless as always, with a .194 average against him, the same as last season. That figure falls even lower in at-bats that end with a changeup. ???
Tucked deeper in his hand this season to reduce spin and drop like a splitter, the pitch has been a revelation. Hitters swing and miss at more than half of McClanahan’s changeups, according to Statcast, and their average against it is .140. He throws it about a quarter of the time — enough to be effective and reliable, but not enough to be familiar, just like how he does with the fastball, slider, and curve. ?⚾️?
“Any given night, something might not feel like it’s there,” McClanahan said. “It just comes back to being able to trust it. Even if you don’t feel like you have it, just continue to throw it. Trust the grip, trust the movement pattern of it, and trust the guys behind you.” ???
In that way, McClanahan might be the best example of the essence of the Rays: trust the coaches, trust the data, trust yourself. In that spirit of collaboration, McClanahan — who can’t be a free agent until after the 2027 season — would like to stick around for a while. ???
“I love the guys around me, I love my organization, and I love Tampa,” he said. “I mean, how lucky am I to be able to pitch in front of my friends and family and to be in a place that’s home for me? I hope I get to do it for a long time. ❤️??
