Joey Wentz isn’t the nastiest pitcher on the planet.
He knows this.
“We had a conversation,” Wentz said, referencing a discussion with members of the Detroit Tigers organization. “I think my stuff is good, but by no means, my stuff is not the best stuff. But when I can throw multiple pitches for strikes, I give myself a lot better chance.”
For the rest of the season, Wentz will be attempting to do that as a Tiger, with a permanent place in the Tigers’ clubhouse and starting rotation. He bounced back and forth, from Triple-A to the majors, twice in May as the 27th player for doubleheaders. In his second trip to the big leagues, he exited with a shoulder injury after four scoreless innings. His resiliency has been tested yet again, two years post-Tommy John surgery.
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Now that he’s back, Wentz has another challenge. The Tigers called him up from Toledo on Sept. 9 for at least four starts in the majors to end his season, though he is scheduled for additional work in the Arizona Fall League to build his innings. So far, he has made two starts, posting a 63% strike rate and two runs allowed over 10⅔ innings.
It’s far from a finished résumé, as the Tigers need to further evaluate Wentz — in a situation similar to Ryan Kreidler’s on the position player side — before a new general manager takes over. Certain questions, such as his ability to consistently throw strikes, cannot be left unanswered.
“This is where I want to be playing my baseball,” Wentz said. “Internally, I think if I do well and do my job — we’re obviously going to have a new general manager — I would love to be in the plans and contribute to the team in a year from now. I’m not so much focused on impressing anybody as I am going out and throwing good games. If I do that, I’ll have a chance to help out.”
Wentz, traded from the Atlanta Braves to the Tigers in July 2019, pitched a gem in his first September start, posting 6⅔ scoreless innings on two hits, one walk and five strikeouts on the road against the Kansas City Royals. He grew up about 15 miles south of Kansas City, Missouri, so family members and friends filled the Kauffman Stadium seats. The 6-foot-5 left-hander, in the midst of earning his first MLB win, received a standing ovation from the crowd as he walked to the dugout.
After the game, Hinch credited three members of the player development staff: director of pitching Gabe Ribas, lower levels pitching coordinator Stephanos Stroop and Triple-A pitching coach Doug Bochtler. They prepared Wentz to throw strikes in the big leagues and challenge hitters with multiple pitches. Hinch also lauded pitching coach Chris Fetter and assistant pitching coach Juan Nieves.
“I think my command in general has been better, but I would say that probably all starts with the heater,” Wentz said. “The big thing is you have to be in the zone. If I don’t beat myself, I’m a lot better.”
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When Wentz joined the Mud Hens in August, following two rehab starts in High-A West Michigan, he focused on simplifying the game. He prioritized being efficient, getting outs and staying relaxed.
There are a lot of things to like about Wentz’s repertoire, consisting of a four-seam fastball, a cutter, a changeup and a curveball. His height gives him an extension advantage, and Hinch likes the vertical movement on his fastball.
In Toledo, Wentz and Bochtler worked on a new cutter. This pitch, in a small sample size, has a 40% swing-and-miss rate; opponents have one hit in 53 cutters thrown. He has thrown 176 fastballs with an 18.7% whiff rate.
“We talked about having a pitch that’s got to be in the strike zone and keeps off the barrel a little bit and gets contact,” Wentz said. “Again, it’s just about playing off my fastball. If I can throw the cutter, it opens up my game and keeps guys off balance a little bit.”
For Wentz’s second start, he faced the American League-leading Houston Astros at Comerica Park. He figured it would be “a good test for me” to pitch against one of the best lineups in baseball. On Wednesday, Wentz turned in four-plus innings of two-run ball on four hits, one walk and five strikeouts.
The Astros fouled off 27 of his 91 pitches.
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“He does get some late swings,” Hinch said. “The foul balls are because they’re late, not because they’re on-time. If he can continue to fill up the strike zone and figure out the spin, then he can be an effective starter.”
After two starts, Wentz is holding his own in the big leagues due to fastball command. He didn’t once shake off Eric Haase, his catcher against the Royals and Astros, and consistently attacked hitters. “I like that he didn’t shy away from anything,” Haase said. Since returning, Wentz has two walks and 10 strikeouts in 10⅔ innings.
He has a few starts remaining — until next season.
“I’m just trying to do well with my opportunity,” Wentz said. “The end of the year is close, but hopefully, I’ll be able to build on something at the end of the year and into next year. That’s how my focus is, just game-to-game, day-to-day and getting better.”