The difference between fighting for survival in the big leagues and potential greatness? In the right case Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers, just a small change in how he catches a baseball.
It is no exaggeration to suggest that two seasons ago, Burnes was the worst player in the major classes when he went 1-5 with an ERA of 8.82 and allowed an astonishing 17 home runs in 49 innings. His transformation began that off-season, when he started arguing with a new pitch; then it broke out in 2020 and almost won the ERA crown in the National League with a mark of 2.11. And now he is the hottest jug on the planet.
Burnes, 26, dismantled a Chicago Cubs offense on Wednesday in a 7-0 victory, eliminating 10 walks without walks and two hits in six innings. His season line after three starts: 1-1, 18⅓ IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 30 SO.
“Someone just told me there were no walks, 30 shots,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said after the game. “That has to be historic enough to start a season, I’m not sure, but that’s an incredible statistic.”
It’s historic. Only three pitchers started a season with several shots without taking a walk:
Kenley Jansen, 2017: 51
Adam Wainwright, 2013: 35
Noah Syndergaard, 2017: 31
In 2019, the league reached .330 Burnes. I hit him .067 in 2021 as Burnes blew out 30 of the 62 fights he faced. The difference factor: a bad cutter that would make Mariano Rivera proud.
What’s interesting is that the pitch actually started as a glider that Burnes tried to develop after that disastrous 2019 season.
“I had the idea out of season to throw two sliders,” Burnes said in a Zoom call with reporters on Tuesday. “It was the slider I’d seen before in ’18 and ’19 and then a harder, tighter slider, which eventually turned into a cutter. So at one point, we were throwing two different sliders – one with a little more depth, one a little more horizontal – and the ball curved for more vertical, so I was going to come in with three break pitches. a cutter and then I made a few changes: to make it a real cutter compared to a slider with a certain depth and I wouldn’t worry about things mixing together. “
That small change in grip – from slider to cutter – changed everything. In 2019, Burnes was primarily a pitcher with four quick / slippery seams, mixing a few curves and changes. Problem: Batters absolutely destroyed her fast ball, hitting .425 against it. According to Mike Petriello of MLB.com, WOBA allowed Burnes in his fast play was the second worst pitch-tracking era (since 2008).
Now, in the possession of this invincible cutter, Burnes has essentially given up four stitches. Against the Cubs, he threw 42 of the 81 pitches and only nine fastballs (seven of those two seamers). Yes, it also helps when the cutter comes at a speed of 97 mph and is part of a lethal arsenal with six steps: cutter, curve, slider, shift, two seamer, four seamer.
Of course, it’s not as simple as a new pitch. Burnes throws exclusively from the stretch now. He said he focused on getting the curve and changing to the same level as the cutter and slider. He plays with the utmost confidence.
“Mentally, I was jailed for 18 innings,” he said.
As was the case with Rivera, the cutter appeared quite easy for Burnes, a natural growth of his fast balloon.
“I’ve always managed to spin the ball very well; that was kind of my business card,” Burnes said Tuesday. “Even throwing a fast ball with four stitches, in the past it always had a cutting action. In ’18, we managed to get rid of it. In ’19, it was one of those things we didn’t do. I could throw him in the attack zone, but I didn’t know where he would be.
“With a few things that I cleaned up, with a few things of positioning the ball in my hand, I managed to take it and it’s practically the cutter. I think that’s why it became such an easy pitch. It’s something I’ve thrown away all my life. “
There is no reason to believe that he cannot sustain this new level, other than the fact that he has to prove that he can do this over 30 starts. The list of players who can match his speed, movement and selection – this list could start and end with Jacob deGrom – is short. Burnes looks like a legitimate competitor to Cy Young.