Erik Bennett is a Pitcher's Coach
Once the catcher and pitcher have agreed upon the pitch, it is up to our designated pitcher to execute. Each pitch has several variations, but it all begins with specific hand positions and technique on the release. Salt Lake Bees pitching coach Erik Bennett works with current pitchers on these skills to hone their abilities.
Bennett was drafted by the Angels in 1989 and also saw time with the Minnesota Twins, owning a 2-0 record in 25 appearances in the Majors. Bennett spent time in the minor leagues as well, including 17 games with the then Salt Lake Buzz, owning a 3-1 record and 6.38 ERA. He had a total of 226 appearances on the farm to accumulate a 49-48 record and overall 4.03 ERA.
Taking his knowledge as a player at all levels of the game, Bennett began his coaching career as the pitching coach for the Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 1995.
"The coaching at the lower levels is more mechanical and requires more attention on the player's technique," explains Bennett. "The higher you go, you refine your stuff to more game situations and sequences of your pitches. So by the time they get here [Triple-A], the mechanical stuff is pretty well taken care of. It is basic maintenance right now with these guys."
In 2007, he coached the Double-A Arkansas Travelers and made his return to Utah in 2008, joining the Salt Lake Bees coaching staff. Entering his second season as the Bees pitching coach and 14th with the Angels organization, Bennett brings a lot of experience to the pitching staff.
"Since I played with the Angels, there are a lot of guys that are still around in the organization that I know, so I know what they are looking for," said Bennett. "It's a little easier to have that routine because I know what they expect of my players."
Although all of the pitches are complex to execute, the pitch that is the hardest to tweak in Bennett's opinion is the change-up. There are three different styles of the pitch, but the palm ball is his favorite. The palm ball, which was Bennett's strikeout pitch when he played, requires placing the baseball tightly in the palm and then throwing it as if throwing a fastball. This takes some of the velocity off the pitch, which causes the batter to swing before the ball reaches the plate.
"The changeup is difficult to tweak because there are a bunch of different grips you can throw with," said Bennett. "You can throw splits, palm ball, or circle change; it is all about positioning the ball in your hand in different ways."
Changeup pitchers to watch on the Bees include Sean O'Sullivan, Fernando Rodriguez and Anthony Ortega.
The curveball is a pitch that requires the pitcher to leverage the seams out in front of their release point. What does that mean? You want to utilize the tops of the seams on the ball so you have all four of them biting against the air for you as it glides towards the plate. This makes for a tight rotation and there is a slight break at the end if you get the right spin on it. Current Angel Matt Palmer, while he was in a Bees uniform, had an excellent curveball to emulate.
The slider is a variation of the curveball that Bennett enjoys coaching.
"I really like to coach the slider," said Bennett. "You want to have it come out of your hand looking like a fastball, but you want it to have a short, late tilt at the end which causes a swing over by the batter. The ball should have a nice little dot on it, with a tight spin, and a late, sharp break."
The fastball is the most common pitch in baseball. The pitch is thrown very fast and the variations can include movement, or just be a straight pitch. The variations with movement are often called sinkers because of their trajectory pattern at the end.
"There are a lot of different ways that someone can have the 'best' fastball," commented Bennett. "But all of my pitchers are good."
Already this season we've seen a number of pitchers get called up, including Matt Palmer, Anthony Ortega and Daniel Davidson. Bennett would like to see every Bees pitcher flourish and make it the Majors, making each one personal projects for him to buff and polish.
"I love coming to the park and working with my guys every day. It keeps me busy and I have a lot of fun with them," said Bennett. "I have a good group of guys again this year. I've had a lot of them as they've come up, so I have a good relationship with them and have gotten to know them pretty well. All of them are my projects and I hope to get them all to the next level."