When Spencer Turnbull got in trouble last year, he'd turn into what Ron Gardenhire calls a bobblehead. He'd shake off pitches. He'd question his catcher. He'd question himself. He'd unravel like a tightly-wound ball of yarn and then his day would be done.
With an arm full of talent, Turnbull wound up leading the majors in losses. The culprits: faulty command, inconsistent mechanics, minimal run support. But most of all, his mind. Turnbull's psychological swings kept him from being the pitcher he knows he can be. So he sought some help in the offseason, and we're starting to see the results.
The latest: four perfect innings with six strikeouts in the Tigers' intrasquad scrimmage Thursday night.
"Just knowing I needed to make a change. Coming to that realization, I was like, OK, I need to find some help," Turnbull said. "Made some changes with people I had around me, hired a few people to help me with that stuff, whether it’s physical training, nutrition or mental coaching. Did some searching for some resources and found some that seem to really help."
One of Turnbull's main areas of focus was his "mound presence." Teammates in the past have told him he has a tendency to look distracted. They've told him his outward demeanor suggests uncertainty. For Turnbull, this came as a surprise. He's a former second-round pick who has a heater in the mid-to-upper 90's and breaking balls that dance. He believes in his stuff.
Now it actually looks like it.
"I’ve always felt pretty confident on the inside, but sometimes guys made comments that I didn’t look as confident as I felt," he said. "I definitely don’t want the hitters to get any kind of an edge thinking that I’m intimidated or scared or thinking about something outside of just getting outs.
"If I can present myself more confident and more focused when I'm out there -- not looking like I’m thinking about 100 other things rather just throwing strike one -- I think it will benefit me as far as facing hitters."
Off the mound, Turnbull wanted to ease his mind. He fretted his way through most of his rookie season. During a conversation early in the year when he was pitching well, he said he was wary of checking his ERA for fear of jinxing it. The stress slowly got to him. An ERA of 3.31 through June ballooned to ballooned to 4.61 by the end of September.
He's more prepared for these mental strains heading into year two.
"I know what to expect out of the game because I’ve been through it for a whole season," he said. "I know how it feels on my body now. I know that being extra stressed and anxious all the time is just going to make things worse. It takes a physical toll, literally, because you don’t sleep as well, you don’t recover as well.
"I’ve worked pretty hard on the emotional side, just purely for the fact to recover better in season. I think mental health is huge."
The Tigers sought help for Turnbull this offseason, too. They signed eight-year vet Austin Romine to take over at catcher. After spending most of last season throwing to a pair of rookies in Grayson Greiner and Jake Rogers, Turnbull has a steadying presence staring back at him from behind the plate. That can go a long way.
"He’s huge," Turnbull said. "There’s just something different about having somebody who’s had a lot more experience at this level. You can’t teach it. I love throwing to Gary and I love throwing to Jake, but having a veteran back there, it’s just a little easier to trust sometimes or help me get the best out of myself that day."
The duo started working together in spring training, when Turnbull gave up four hits, one run and struck out 13 batters over 11 innings. Their chemistry has continued to improve in Summer Camp. Romine has the firm, follow-me demeanor that Turnbull needs.
"Sometimes, like a lot of pitchers, he overthinks situations," said Gardenhire. "Romine said, 'When I catch him, he’s going to trust me. When I put the finger down, I don’t want to see a bobblehead out there. You might see me sprint out to the mound (to tell him) just throw the ball. You got great stuff, this is what’s working for you.'
"That’s one of the things we want Turnbull to do: trust the catcher, hit the glove, because his ball moves all over the place. I think it’s going to work out. This kid, another year here, is just going to get better and better with his stuff. Stay healthy and trust the catcher and everything’s going to go real good with this guy."
He's in a better place mentally. He's more balanced emotionally. He's prepared for the obstacles ahead because he's seen them in the past. In his own words, "I'm not as fearful of outcomes." Turnbull's also tightened up his mechanics, which should help him work deeper into games. And if things start to go sideways, he's got the right catcher to get him back on track.
"I don’t want my confidence to come directly from results all the time, but seeing some of the fruit from the changes I made this offseason show up pretty quickly has definitely added to the confidence," he said.
With the outing Turnball had Thursday night, it's too bad the season hasn't started yet.
"I wouldn’t be worried about wasting them," he said with a smile. "I expect to do that pretty consistently. My stuff’s felt pretty good."