Familiar Faces
Tyler Schlaffer Gears Up for Year Two with the Pelicans
Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Tyler Schlaffer aspired to be pitching for the team on the north side one day.
"It's been my dream to pitch at Wrigley Field," Schlaffer told the Chicago Tribune in 2019 shortly after being selected by the Cubs in the ninth round. Schlaffer was selected out of Homewood-Flossmoor High School at just 18 years old.
Schlaffer's path to Wrigley started out in the desert of Arizona, where he pitched three games in the Arizona League in relief in 2019. He struck out five in 5 1/3 innings across those three games for his Cubs organization debut. The right-hander started back in Arizona in 2021 following the pandemic with three starts through the month of July before taking the next step toward his vision. He was sent on a plane heading east for Myrtle Beach in the middle of the 2021 season.
Through nine starts with the Birds, Schlaffer posted a 4.65 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings from mid-July to September. Following his final start of the season on September 15th against Augusta, Schlaffer reflected on his improvement throughout the season.
“I think I progressed a lot from the start when I got here,” Schlaffer said. “The hitters were a lot more patient, so I realized that and made that adjustment. This is my dream job and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
That future held almost an entire offseason at the Cubs facility in Mesa, Arizona as Schlaffer continued to develop as a young pitcher. Pelicans second-year pitching coach Clayton Mortensen was one of the witnesses to Schlaffer’s offseason routine.
“He was one of the guys that were at the facility all the time throughout the whole offseason,” Mortensen said. “He looks bigger and stronger; he’s throwing the ball more consistently at a higher velocity so it’s going to be nice to watch him this year.”
Schlaffer mentioned at the end of last season that the big focus point in the offseason would be improving his curveball. His training in Arizona from October to March was spent doing exactly that.
“I developed my curveball a lot in the offseason and made a big jump with that,” Schlaffer said.
“His curveball has come a long way,” Mortensen added. “Seeing him have three complete weapons is going to be fun to watch.”
The now 20-year-old kicked off the 2022 season as the Opening Night starter against the same team he made his Single-A debut against last year and the reigning league champions, the Charleston RiverDogs. Schlaffer lasted 2 2/3 innings with three earned runs and allowed a home run in Charleston but struck out five in the 5-2 loss on April 8th. Despite taking the loss in his first start, Schlaffer is looking forward to another season at the beach.
“I’m super confident and super excited,” Schlaffer said. “It’s good to be back here, I love the stadium and love the fans.”
The duo of Mortensen and Schlaffer will now be working together for year two. The former MLB pitcher has noticed Schlaffer’s commanding presence on the mound.
“The biggest thing that stands out to me is his confidence,” Mortensen said. “He doesn’t get intimated by people. He keeps a pretty even keel, pretty easy-going guy. He has some natural instincts to pitch.”
“He gives me confidence, and he has confidence in us,” Schlaffer said about Mortensen. “Knowing that he has our back with that, it’s going to be fun.”
Despite being over 900 miles from his Illinois home, Schlaffer will pitch with his hometown team’s patch on his chest every night.
“It’s a surreal feeling still to this day, I know my family is super excited to watch me this year,” Schlaffer said.
The dream of pitching on the mound at Wrigley Field will stay fresh in Schlaffer’s mind as he continues to develop on the mound at Pelicans Ballpark.
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