Stacey King
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REVERE REVERSES THROWING WOES
Phillies outfielder fixes flaw in mechanics
If you didn’t know the history, Ben Revere’s throw in the 10th inning of an April game against the Washington Nationals would have impressed.
A 2-2 game, Revere’s Philadelphia Phillies trying to preserve a tie, Yunel Escobar singles to medium-deep left field. Revere picks up the ball, throws a laser that bounces once and effortlessly into the hands of Carlos Ruiz, beating speedy Michael Taylor by 15 feet.
Great throw from an outfielder. But this isn’t just an outfielder. This is Ben Revere, universally cited as having one of the weakest throwing arms in baseball.
Two days later, David Wright stood at first base at Citi Field in a game against the Phillies, and, on a fly ball to medium left field, tagged up. The ball rocketed to the infield, though, and Wright was forced to slide on a bang-bang play at second.
So what is going on?
To hear Revere tell it, all that has happened is a coaching change that ruined his throwing arm years ago has finally been corrected.
“When I was with the Minnesota Twins, I didn’t have the strongest arm,” Revere says. “I was throwing four-seamers. And I got with some of the coaches on the minor league side, and they had me try different steps, and it kind of threw me out of whack. Suddenly I was throwing pretty much cutters, because that was my new throwing motion.”
Revere described the process as one that not only led to throws sailing or curving on him, but one that was inherently uncomfortable, leading him to constantly think through the process each time he threw from the outfield.
When they acquired Revere in a trade in December 2012, the Phillies knew they had to find a way to improve his throwing arm.
“Ben started a throwing program last year that lasted all year long,” Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg says. “I saw it gradually getting better in center field. And now with his ability to charge and make some throws in center field, it’s really helped him to play better. It was a conscious effort to work on his throwing mechanics. He works on it, and in left field, it’s helped him. It’s shorter throws to second base. It’s shorter throws on a guy going first to third. And it’s a shorter throw to the cutoff man.”
But while Sandberg says he thinks the move to left is the primary factor in Revere’s throwing renaissance, Revere and the visual evidence suggest it’s more significant than a position change. Revere is throwing differently. He’s clearly more comfortable. And Revere’s improvement came largely by accident, during the offseason in Lexington, Ky.
“I was throwing with my buddies, and I could see the backspin,” Revere says, showing the four-seamer motion he had thrown effortlessly. “And this spring, a lot of guys were telling me, ‘Your arm got a lot stronger.’ But it didn’t get stronger, it was just the backspin.”
Revere knew he was on to something, and he told Phillies coach Juan Samuel.
“And he saw, and he was just amazed,” Revere says. “Even that throw (to try and get Wright at second), that would have been three hops at least for me.”
Revere dated the change from the Twins to the spring following his first year in the system. That season, in 49 games, he tallied four assists, not great, but not awful. Over his next five minor league seasons, 322 games, he added 14 more assists.
“Gulf Coast League, I was throwing four seams,” Revere recalls. “And got with some people, doing some different things, and it kind of mentally messed me up. Back in high school, I could throw from the centerfield fence — not all the way home, God didn’t bless me with that, but one great throw, one hop, two, all the way.”
Once Revere rediscovered his fateful four-seamer, a convalescence for his offseason ankle surgery cemented the work.
“Constantly, I’d be laying in my bed — I had screws taken out for ankle surgery — just working on this, constantly, throwing the ball, working on the four-seam. And I could tell when I started throwing in January, it was working.”
He then eliminated forearm workouts he said had tightened his wrists and reduced the snap on his throws.
A Revere who can throw is suddenly a better option in center, even a possibility in right field, where he played 91 games for the Twins and where Sandberg played him for the first time last week.
Such versatility can extend a career.
“I know what the scouting reports say, go on his arm,” says Revere, who was tied for fourth in the majors among left fielders with two assists. “If I can show these guys, his arm’s gotten a lot better, if I start throwing out a couple more guys, they’ll start to hesitate.”
“I’ve fixed my problem. I want to keep it quiet at least a little bit, because I want to get 10, maybe 15 outfield assists. And now, I ain’t worried about where the ball’s going.”
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