One of the underrated parts of the Seattle Mariners’ turnaround in results, has been the improvement and consistency from Emerson Hancock.
Emerson Hancock and the Seattle Mariners kept alive their chances of winning a ninth consecutive series, with a 5-3 victory on Tuesday evening against the Athletics in Sacramento. They will send Bryan Woo to the mound for the rubber match on Wednesday afternoon.
There was plenty to like on Tuesday night, including Julio Rodriguez tying his season-high of three hits and Cal Raleigh coming off the bench to produce the go-ahead runs in the ninth. In addition, Dylan Moore produced the Mariners’ final RBI of the evening, in his first game back from the 10-day Injured List.
However, top of the list of reasons to like the 5-3 win was the pitching of Hancock, with arguably his best outing of the season to date. He allowed just four hits, a couple of walks and two earned runs in 6.0 innings, while also striking out four.
Yes, both of Hancock’s walks subsequently resulted in runs for the Athletics, but overall there was plenty to be impressed by on Tuesday night. What really stood out was how efficient he was, needing just 71 pitches to get through his 6.0 innings.
The 25-year-old is looking nothing like the pitcher who had a disastrous first start of the season against the Detroit Tigers. In that outing he allowed seven hits, a walk and six earned runs in less than an inning, resulting in him being assigned to Triple-A Tacoma to work on his game (and confidence).
Emerson Hancock a different pitcher since returning
There was some surprise when the Mariners recalled Hancock so quickly, but they clearly liked what they saw from him during his two starts in Tacoma. And so it has proven to be, with the M’s winning all four of his outings since his return to Seattle.
On a peripheral level the righty’s overall stats on the season still look bad, with a 5.70 ERA, 4.18 FIP and 1.563 WHIP in 23.2 combined innings over his five starts. However, take out the Tigers game and he has produced a 3.52 ERA, 2.10 FIP, 0.80 WHIP and three quality starts over four outings.
A look at Hancock’s Baseball Savant page reveals there is still plenty to work on, but there is promise, highlighted by being in the 92nd percentile for his average exit velocity. He is relying heavily on his sinker, with it replacing his four seamer from last year as his main pitch.
Mariners manager Dan Wilson was impressed with what he saw from Hancock on the night. Speaking to the media postgame, Wilson said:
“His sinker was really good. He was getting a lot of those first-pitch groundouts and kept his pitch count way down, and that was the difference. There were a couple of innings there that were really quick, because he was able to just put that sinker either at the bottom of the zone or just below it.”
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It’s all about the mentality
One of the best indicators of Hancock’s improved confidence and self-belief, came in his comments about how he responded to giving up the aforementioned two walks which resulted in runs. He said:
“You just (have) to keep attacking. You’re going to give up some hits. Things are going to fall and things are going to happen, but you’ve just got to keep attacking and keep going after them.”
This attacking philosophy from Hancock applied right from the word go in each inning. He said:
“The biggest thing is the first pitch strike. Get that one, and that goes for when it’s a big situation or it’s the first hitter of the inning. You want to win that pitch and it sets the tone for the rest of the at-bat, and I thought we were able to do that really well.”
There was always going to be a drop-off from last season for the rotation when they were the best in the majors, leading the way in a whole host of categories. The drop-off has been bigger than expected though, with them ranking 13th in ERA, tied 14th in WHIP and 12th in opposing team batting average.
It doesn’t help that George Kirby has yet to pitch this year, Logan Gilbert is out for an undetermined period of time and Bryce Miller just doesn’t look right. As a result, we’re in a situation where Hancock is the third’ most reliable starter right now, behind Woo and Luis Castillo.
Whether the 2020 sixth overall draft pick eventually pans out as well as the likes of Kirby and Gilbert remains to be seen, but he’s sure looking good enough right now. In any event he’s just enjoying the ride, as he said:
“It’s been great. That’s the goal, to win. I have a great team behind me and my job is to go out there and throw a lot of strikes, get those guys back in the dugout and just try to do my part. Do my job and the guys are doing great and it’s a lot of fun, especially when you win.”
Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rodgers Photography
Should the Mariners expect to continue seeing excellent pitching from Emerson Hancock throughout this season, or do you predict he will not maintain his improvement long-term? Let us know in the comments section below.
