Pitchers and catchers heading to the World Baseball Classic reported to Spring Training Monday, meaning Adam Ottavino was one of the first into Mets camp.
And, he had quite a bit to say about one particular topic: the pitch clock coming to MLB this year.
"I think it’ll be good. I think the only time it'll be a factor is a huge moment, a huge spot, and you're in between what to throw," Ottavino told the media. "You're gonna have to find a way to kill the clock there. You get your one or two step-offs. You're gonna have to know your fail safes.”
The new pitch clock rules say that pitchers will have 15 seconds with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on to start their motion from the time they receive the ball from the catcher.
It will be a learning curve for those who haven’t experienced it in Triple-A, but Ottavino is confident it won’t be hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
"That's kind of what spring training is gonna be about, for me at least, with the clock,” he said. “Just kind of understanding what mechanisms I have for when I do need to slow the pace down, how I can do that. For the most part, just getting comfortable pitching at a little bit of a quicker pace."
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In the long run, Ottavino says, it could be an advantage for the pitcher at times.
"For the most part, if you're pitching well, I think you want to push the pace and make the hitter a little uncomfortable and kind of control it," he said. "You can still control it as the pitcher. You can take the full time or go faster. All that stuff is gonna come into play. It's a comfort thing, you just have to practice.”
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