Can the Atlanta Braves Fix Mike Foltynewicz

Aug 8, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz (48) pitches against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

At 6’4”, 200 pounds and featuring easy gas at the 97 mph level, Mike Foltynewicz looks like a future ace. So far however he’s not had the success everyone expects.

A Quick History

The Astros selected Foltynewicz with their first pick (19th overall) in the 2010 draft. Baseball America’s draft report (subscription required) had nice things to say about the 19 year old right hander out of Minooka Illinois.

". . .the best pitching prospect in the Upper Midwest. He opened eyes by sitting at 91-94 mph and touching 96 with his fastball. . . frame, strength and arm speed (make it) easy to project him regularly throwing in the mid-90s . . . already has an advanced changeup for a high school pitcher, as it features good sink and could become a plus pitch."

They also had areas where he needed improvement.

"He doesn’t consistently stay on top of his breaking pitches. . . He throws both a curveball and a slider, and he’d be best served by focusing on improving his slider."

During a period from about 2008 onwards and maybe before the Astros pitching development system was not well run. The best pitching prospect in their system when Folty came on board – Jordan Lyles – pitched to a 5.35 ERA, 4.54 FIP as an Astro.  This was the time when the team was awful, the owner was trying to sell the team, the commissioner was blackmailing new owners to move to the AL and the GM was dumping the stars for prospects. It isn’t unusual that player development took a dive at that time.  With Folty it didn’t just slip, it fell off the cliff.

After his short season in rookie in rookie ball BA said that he had “. . .the best raw arm in the system and flashes three plus pitches. . . His changeup was his best pitch in his debut, featuring heavy late sink and good arm speed, and it comes out looking like his fastball. . .”  Although Houston had helped him improve his slurvy curve it was still a pitch in progress.  The curve wasn’t the only change Houston made.

After five years the Astros turned a high school pitcher with two good pitches and one developing pitch pitch into a radar gun toy with one and a half pitches. He would have been in AAA again for Houston had he not moved to the Braves. He should have spent 2015 in AAA for Atlanta unlearning all the things the Astros tried to do to him. However the Braves lacked any semblance of starting depth and he ended up trying to learn how to pitch all over again in games counted instead of in the minors.  That simply doesn’t work.

Major league pitching coaches do not have the luxury of time to reteach basics nor can they allow a pitcher to work on things without regard to results. As a result Folty struggled and fans called for him to be moved to the bullpen, a strange request as consistently locating pitches is something a bullpen arm needs to do.