After signing with the club a few days ago, Zack Littell made his first start of the spring last night. His three innings of work gave Nats fans a taste of what they should expect from him. There was some hard contact, but he pounded the zone, was efficient and pulled three one-run innings.
For a guy who signed just a few days ago, Littell looked sharp. Its speed has decreased by about a tick, but that doesn’t surprise me much. He signed late and still needs time to prepare.
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Littell is confident his speed will be in a good place by the time the season begins. He said: “As I continue to get everything in sync, the timing gets better, the body keeps getting better organized, everything should keep getting more precise.” The way he talked about his mechanics and body alignment is really interesting to me. This shows the importance of mechanics and how a pitcher moves.
Talking to him, it’s clear that Littell is very hard on himself. Despite using his splitter effectively last night, he wasn’t happy with his signature pitch. In fact, he thought the splitter was his worst pitch last night. Littell thought his command of the field was solid, but he didn’t like the movement profile of his splitter.
This splitter is a big part of why Littell went from a middle reliever to a solid middle of the rotation starter. The Rays gave him increased pitch usage, and that became his best deal. It does a great job of killing spin and causing that drop.
For his part, Blake Butera felt that Littell “threw the ball well.” Butera loved how well his right-hander pounded the zone and got ahead of hitters. After all, these are the attributes that make Littell such a solid pitcher. However, Butera knows Littell’s mindset, calling him “a perfectionist who expects very good things from himself.”
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Although Littell may not have been satisfied, I think it was a good first start. He completed three innings and threw 15 more pitches to the bullpen to continue his surge. As we get closer to the season, I would also expect his business to continue to improve. It can be difficult to sign late, but I think Littell came in just in time to at least have a somewhat normal spring.
Honestly, Littell is an optimized version of what the Nats want in their pitchers. He can throw any pitch in any count and has a full arsenal. Last year, the two Littells most used the locations were its slider and separator. This fits well with the Nats’ new pitching approach.
Littell actually got both of his strikeouts on those deals. He retired the first batter he faced by freezing him on a slider. There’s actually a cool video I found behind home plate on this field.
By the deadline, Littell could be trade bait, but he should stabilize the rotation while he’s there. He’s a pragmatic right-hander who pounds the zone with a variety of different pitches. Littell went three innings on just 39 pitches, which I love. Being efficient and going deep into games is something he excels at despite only being a reliever a few years ago.
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Of his 39 pitches, 28 were strikes. He didn’t step on anyone and only counted three bullets. Littell might give up a few more hits, but he will give the Nats some length while keeping them in the game. This is exactly what this team needs and why I think he is a great signing for the Nats.
