Spring training | Clayton Richard's mechanical adjustments a slow process
BRADENTON -- The injury bug took Clayton Richard from a major-league starter to a journeyman who developed poor mechanical habits.
It led Richard from the San Diego Padres to the minor leagues, where he spent the 2014 season in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.
This past offseason, Richard departed his second organization in as many seasons and found a home with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a non-roster invitee.
It has been a slow process to get Richard back to where he was when he broke into the big leagues in 2008.
"I got to the point three or four years ago, I started trying to protect my shoulder," said Richard, who allowed two runs and four hits during a three-inning relief appearance Friday in the Pirates' 6-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at McKechnie Field. "It was just hurting. ... Over the years, it ended up tightening up and bringing everything close to my body to try to control it without getting hurt. So now it's just trying to loosening that all a little back up."
Richard is this year's Vance Worley for the Pirates.
Worley had a horrid spring with the Minnesota Twins last year, was acquired by Pittsburgh in late March and was sent to extended spring training in Bradenton.
"I was pretty much at rock bottom," Worley said. "I pretty much had no choice."
Worley returned to the major leagues last June and posted a 2.85 earned-run average under the guidance of pitching coach Ray Searage and Jim Benedict, who is a special assistant to general manager Neal Huntington and has spent time as the Pirates minor-league pitching coordinator.
So when Richard, who hasn't thrown an inning in the major leagues since 2013 arrived, Worley spoke with the southpaw about what he went through.
Mainly the discussion was about video, but both players said they need to feel the adjustments rather than just spotting it on video.
And it's healthy to move backward in the recovery before moving forward.
"That's our job," Worley said. "Anytime you take a step back, you are going to take a step forward."
The tweaks to Richard's delivery have started from the ground up.
"We're taking steps every day," Richard said. "It's something where I'm learning new things and trying to make the adjustments as we go, because we learn new things that sometimes will take a little while to make a difference. ... But I'm enjoying every step and it's been a lot of fun this spring."
Through this spring, Richard has reworked his leg kick and glove arm, and now it's making progress on his throwing arm.
"Even healthy guys, guys that have been in the game forever make adjustments," Richard said. "That's what I think is special about baseball players is that they understand everyone is continually making adjustments, and the guys that don't usually don't last for very long."
In addition to revamping Worley's game, Pittsburgh's staff also helped rehabilitate this year's Opening Day starter, Francisco Liriano. Liriano struggled in his final two American League seasons with Minnesota and Chicago in 2011-12, compiling ERA's north of 5.00 in both stops before the Pirates acquired him ahead of the 2013 season.
Liriano morphed into a lockdown guy for the Pirates, posting a 3.02 ERA and a 16-8 record in 161 innings pitched.
That track record speaks for itself and provides Richard a blueprint to work toward as he works his way back to becoming a regular major leaguer -- whenever that day arrives.
"It's a confidence and a positive attitude," Richard said. "So they treat the process and the adjustments we're making positively and understand that some things you go through when it's a little bit of a struggle or it's not as easy, it's a positive thing. It's not negative. And to go through all that with a positive outlook creates a little bit of confidence knowing when you come out the other end, you'll be a little bit better."
This story was originally published March 20, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Spring training | Clayton Richard's mechanical adjustments a slow process."