Yan twirls more hitless ball for Bees
As Hector Yan threw from the mound at Community Field on Thursday night, he didn't want to think about the past. His mind narrowed in on the next pitch. When it was gone, the next one again entered his headspace.So as the No. 29 Angels prospect barreled through 6 1/3
As Hector Yan threw from the mound at Community Field on Thursday night, he didn't want to think about the past. His mind narrowed in on the next pitch. When it was gone, the next one again entered his headspace.
So as the No. 29 Angels prospect barreled through 6 1/3 hitless innings for Class A Burlington in an eventual 2-1 loss to Kane County, he didn't think about the zero in the opponent's hit column during his last start. Or the 12 strikeouts he racked up in the prior one. Because a mind-set in the present has been instrumental in the creation of a more confident Yan in his first full season as a pro.
"He's maturing," Bees pitching coach Jonathan Van Eaton said of the 20-year-old southpaw. "We have been doing some directional work, and he's able to take it not just one at-bat or one inning or one outing at a time, but one pitch at a time. Just his overall focus has been outstanding."
Yan struck out seven, walked four and lowered his ERA to 3.07. He hasn't allowed a hit over his last two starts or surrendered a run in his last 15 1/3 frames.
Gameday box score
Thursday's gem featured 1-2-3 innings in the first and fifth. Although Yan issued one walk during the three frames in between, none of those who received free passes advanced. After a seven-pitch sixth, he threw four straight balls to Joey Rose to lead off the seventh, then struck out Zack Shannon before the Bees went to the bullpen.
Yan had yet to pitch into the sixth in nine starts this season, and his ability to go deep Thursday extended the best stretch of his career. The recent success has been propelled by an ability to control his emotions on the mound, the hurler and his coach agreed.
"It used to be that -- and it still is at times -- that I don't have the greatest confidence in the first inning," Yan said through a team translator, "but now I've done a better job of trusting in my pitches and my ability."
With that trust has come numbers far better than what the Dominican Republic native had posted in recent years. Opponents are hitting .182 against him this season after batting .274 in the Rookie Advanced Pioneer League. His strikeout rate has bumped up from 21.8 percent to 32.7 percent. Yan stands fourth in the Midwest League with 78 strikeouts.
The four walks issued Thursday don't align with the dip in his walk rate -- from 15 percent to 12.4 percent -- but the club has been working on developing repeatability in the pitcher's arsenal to hone in on command.
"Establish the fastball early," Van Eaton said. "And then the secondaries take shape as the game goes on. Every outing is different. We're basically just taking what he does well and trying to repeat it as often as possible. Whether it's the fastball, the split, the slider -- whatever it is that day -- just trying to get consistency out of it."
Parker Joe Robinson replaced Yan in the seventh and kept his no-hit bid alive. In a scoreless game, No. 6 D-backs prospect Geraldo Perdomo bunted to trade the second out of the inning for a runner in scoring position. But Robinson whiffed Zachery Almond in a seven-pitch battle and stranded Rose on second, and the right-hander went on to retire Kane County in order in the eighth.
Burlington's bats, though, were equally stymied. Justin Lewis allowed two hits and two walks while striking out five over six scoreless innings. The Bees' lone run came in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single by Kevin Maitan, but Ryan Miller (2-4) ended the threat by striking out Nonie Williams and picking off Maitan -- the No. 13 Angels prospect -- at first base.
Jose Herrera broke up the no-hitter with a one-out single off Luke Lind (2-1) in the ninth, and two batters later, Shannon belted a two-run homer to left field.
Joe Bloss is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @jtbloss.
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