Toolshed: Tribe's Hentges growing into himself

Sam Hentges is still growing as a pitcher.
That's true of just about everyone who takes a Minor League mound, of course, but Hentges is a special case. The left-hander was a part-time pitcher, most-of-the-time first baseman during his junior year at Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, Minnesota, before scouts and college coaches told him his 6-foot-6 frame would best fit on the mound.

Results came quickly his senior season as Hentges was named the 2014 Gatorade Minnesota Player of the Year, posting a 1.06 ERA with 46 strikeouts and 12 hits allowed in 26 1/3 innings, and was the first player drafted from the state that June, going to the Indians in the fourth round before his 18th birthday.
"It's been awesome," Hentges said of his full-time move to pitching. "I love learning and studying the game. It's a very fun sport, obviously, and a very fun position to play. I've learned to be able to critique myself. Once you think you've learned it all, it'll smack you right in the face. But I can see the improvements I've made because I'm trying to constantly learn, as I think everyone does."
He's still a bit raw, but after being forced to take a year off due to 2016 Tommy John surgery, the Indians' No. 17 prospect is showing signs of becoming a well-rounded southpaw in his first healthy season in three years.

Through his first three starts with Class A Advanced Lynchburg, Hentges -- who has two plus pitches in his fastball and curve along with a developing changeup -- owns a 0.56 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 19 strikeouts and three walks over 16 innings. His latest gem was one of the best of his young career -- 10 strikeouts over six scoreless innings at home against Frederick. It's still early, but no qualified Carolina League pitcher has a lower FIP than Hentges' 1.65. (And that's in a league with Dylan Cease and Dane Dunning, each of whom have been solid.)
Hentges can draw a fairly straight line from his elbow surgery almost two years ago to his success today.
"It's a long process," Hentges said of his rehab. "With Tommy John, you have to accept you won't be out there for at least a year. That's a big step mentally no matter what. But it also means you can get better physically and in better shape because you have no limitations other than your arm. It sparked a new work ethic. I understand the grind more. I was still young, only 19 when the surgery happened. I didn't really know what I was trying to do or achieve. Now with effort and consistency, I get it a lot more.
"Like today, I'm on a bus for six hours, but I can't just shrug that off and not work for the day. I still have to go through my work, follow my routine. Rehab helped shape that."
Hentges earned solid marks for the way he lost weight going into his Draft year, dropping from 248 to 220. He's back up to 245 now, but there's more muscle. Without the ability to work on his arm during rehab, Hentges focused on his lower half and core with the help of trainers. By the time he returned, his velocity returned as well -- with even a few extra mph at times. Now, Hentges typically throws in the lower 90s but is capable of touching 95.
The results Hentges is seeing in 2018 didn't come right away, however. He put up a 4.85 ERA with a 1.46 WHIP and .296 average-against in his first six rehab starts in the complex-level Arizona League -- throwing no more than three innings in this outings -- before seeing much more promising results after a small bump to Class A Short Season Mahoning Valley (2.04 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, .088 average in five starts). 
Hentges says now that he didn't care about the results in 2017. The only thing he was checking was the health of his surgically repaired elbow.
"There was a point last year where they were building me up slowly," he said. "It didn't take until the fourth game before I could even throw three innings in a game. But at a certain point, I understood the elbow was healthy. The surgery was successful. I didn't need to worry about that. I could take everything I had learned in my rehab and put it to use on the mound and beyond that in my life, too."
That meant the offseason could finally be devoted to honing his craft, and because of that work, Hentges is seeing perhaps his greatest growth in control. Even before the surgery in 2016, the tall southpaw walked 29 batters in 60 1/3 innings with Class A Lake County for a 10.2 percent walk rate. Last season was about the same with an 11.8 percent walk rate. And though it was encouraging to see things hadn't gotten out of whack after a major procedure, his control was knocked in his scouting report as MLB.com gave it a 45 on the 20-80 scouting scale. 
But after an offseason harnessing his craft, Hentges has seen a big jump when it comes to finding his spots in the early going. He's cut his walk rate in more than half, down to 4.8 percent through his three starts with the Hillcats. It's too early to say he's become a control freak, but consider this -- he's yet to walk more than two in an outing, and his April 11 gem marked the first time he didn't issue a free pass in a start of six innings or more since Aug. 9, 2015. It all traces back to a lack of worry about his elbow.
"One thing I've tried to focus on above all else has been control and command of the fastball, and I think that has improved a lot," he said. "Again, it's not perfect. It probably will never be perfect, but it's at least trending that way. ... It just comes down to repetition. Last year after rehab, it was just about getting out there and throwing. The stuff and location just wasn't a big deal for me. The offseason, I could actually focus on tightening things up, and that all starts with the fastball."
Only 21 in what would be his senior spring had he honored his commitment to Arkansas, Hentges is still learning about what he can be as a pitcher. He's still learning his craft. He's still learning his body, his delivery, his pitches. But Cleveland has liked enough of what they've seen to push that education to Class A Advanced, rather than returning him to Class A, where he had a 6.12 ERA before the operation. The aggressive move is already paying dividends.
"They had confidence that they could challenge me," Hentges said. "They've understood I've matured in my rehab, and that I was ready for something like this. That just speaks to the confidence I have in myself that they can see and the confidence they have in me too."