\n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”oembed”,”width”:550,”contentType”:”rich”},{ “__typename”: “Markdown”, “content”: “Hill had a strange stat line in Spokane. He had 57 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings, but coughed up 54 hits and walked 25. It felt like he was dominating at times and couldn’t strike out at others. He missed two starts in July due to back pain, and on August 3, he lasted only two batters in a start against Everett due to shoulder inflammation.\n\nRockies decided to tackle not just the back or the shoulder, but everything.\n\”He had taken so long away from ‘TJ’ that the bottom half was inconsistent from one out to the ‘other, and really pitch to pitch sometimes,’ said Flint Wallace, Rockies pitching strategies coordinator. “He came here and worked hard to get there. Basically, it’s about getting your stuff in the zone more often. He was falling behind in counts early, but his stuff is electric.\n\n“His changeup is a ‘plus-plus’ pitch \\(well above Major League average\\). The slider, now that he’s cleaned up some things, is back to where we saw him before the injury and on video when he was at LSU. We also know that fastball velocity is elite at times. And the improved delivery helps him recover more quickly. Despite his injury, he was worth a second-round selection and a $1.7 million bonus — in other words, the type of pitcher the Rockies tend to explore every possibility with as a member of their future rotation. “text”},{“__typename”:”OEmbed”,”html”:”
“I met a lot of great people and it was a great experience for me.”
Before resuming the @Rockies organization within the AFL, @iam_Jaden_Hill shares his experience of the Breakthrough Series 2017 ⚾️???????? #BreakthroughBoyz???? #FallLeagueFridays pic.twitter.com/WdiNYSyutt
– MLBDevelops (@MLBDevelops) November 10, 2023
\n\n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”oembed”,”width”:550,”contentType”:”rich”} ,{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”However, club officials said they would discuss a move to the bullpen, which could mean a quicker path to the Majors – – with possibly an important role. \n\nFall League was a difficult read. The outings were spaced three or four days apart until the end, when he struck out three and gave up a hit Tuesday, then pitched a clean inning Thursday. Hill played with his sliding handle to positive results and showed more confidence in moving his fastball around the strike zone.\n\nHill could also be a test for the effectiveness of a scheme that Wallace and the organization instituted this year. Using ArmCare technology, data on pitchers’ strength, fatigue and recovery was shared with Wallace and Minor League coaches and officials, and the information was used to guide each pitcher toward an individualized routine. \n\nThe addition of the Rockies’ “Lab,” which is being built at the Scottsdale training facility and expected to open in early December, will allow Hill and other minor and major league pitchers to work under controlled conditions and record data. which can be used to improve performance and health throughout the season.\n\nHowever, Hill appreciated being removed from the Minor League with a month remaining in the season. His extra month in Arizona justified the decision.\n\n”I had two months\(out of competition\\) to reflect and see what I needed to improve on,” Hill said. “I could get frustrated with it, or I could work to go back and redeem myself somewhat by implementing the things I was working on.””,”type”:”text”}),,”relativeSiteUrl”:”/ news /jaden-hill-finds-success-in-afl”,”contentType”:”news”,”subHeadline”:null,”summary”:”This story is excerpted from Thomas Harding’s Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to receive it regularly in your inbox.”,”tagline({\”formatString\”:\”none\”})”:null,”tags”:({“__typename”:”InternalTag” ,”slug” :”storytype-article”,”title”:”Article”,”type”:”article”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-677955″,”title” :”Jaden Hill “,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:677955″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”ContributorTag”,”slug”:”thomas-harding”, “title”: “Thomas Harding”, “type”: “contributor”}, {“__typename”: “TeamTag”, “slug”: “teamid-115”, “title”: “Colorado Rockies”, “team” : {“__ref” :”Team:115″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”mlb-top-prospects”,”title”:”Top Prospects of MLB”,”type “:”taxonomy”}),”type”:”history”,”thumbnail”:”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/ mlb/y39g5eqvsz6ewpem8mt7″,”title “:”Jaden Hill finds success in AFL”}},”Team:115″:{“__typename”:”Team”,”id”:115},”Person:677955″:{ “__typename”:”Person”, “id”:677955}}} window.adobeAnalytics = {“reportingSuiteId”: “mlbglobal08, mlbcom08”, “linkInternalFilters”: “mlb”} window.globalState = {“tracking_title”: “League major league baseball”, “lang”: “fr”} window.appId = ” /*–>*/
November 12, 2023
This story is from Thomas Harding’s Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, Click here. And subscribe to receive it regularly in your inbox.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — In August, the right-hander Jaden Hill became one of many Rockies prospects to disappear from the scoring charts during a summer full of pain and disappointment — for an organization that couldn’t afford either.
But unlike the vast number of pitchers who have undergone surgery, Hill was fine in comparison. His solid work on 11 Arizona Fall League his appearances for the Salt River Rafters put him on the list of encouraging throwing developments heading into winter. Hill — Colorado’s No. 29 prospect – finished with a 3.18 ERA with 13 strikeouts against six hits, four walks and two hit batters.
At High-A Spokane, in his first full, healthy professional season, Hill failed to find consistency (0-9, 9.48 ERA in 16 starts) and by August he was dealing with persistent back pain and shoulders. The organization pulled him from competition and sent him to the team’s compound in Scottsdale. The routine he developed has paid off in the Fall League.
“We’re striving to have the best stats, but at the same time, it’s been a learning year for me,” Hill said earlier this fall. “I was able to evolve a lot. The troubles I encountered this year helped me mature, grow, and learn. The numbers could have been better, but I became a better player and a better person.
The Rockies selected Hill, who turns 24 on Dec. 22, out of LSU in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Hill underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow that year. Due to the injury and pandemic in 2020, Hill was limited to 51 collegiate innings over three seasons. After recovering from surgery, he pitched 17 2/3 innings in late 2022 at the Rookie and Single-A level and was seemingly ready for a full ’23.
Hill had a strange stat line in Spokane. He had 57 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings, but coughed up 54 hits and walked 25. It felt like he was dominating at times and couldn’t strike out at others. He missed two starts in July due to back pain, and on August 3, he lasted only two batters in a start against Everett due to shoulder inflammation.
The Rockies decided to go after not just the back or shoulder, but everything.
“He had taken so much time away from ‘TJ’ that the bottom half was inconsistent from outing to outing, and sometimes from pitch to pitch,” strategy coordinator Flint Wallace said. Rockies launch event. “He came here and worked hard to get there. Basically, it’s about getting your stuff in the zone more often. He was behind in the counts early, but his stuff is electric.
“His changeup is a ‘plus-plus’ pitch (well above Major League average). The slider, now that he’s cleaned up some things, is back to where we saw him before the injury and on video when he was at LSU. We also know that fastball velocity is elite at times. And the improved delivery helps her recover more quickly.
Before the ’21 draft, Hill was projected as a top 10 pick and a top pitcher. Despite his injury, he was worth the early second-round selection and a $1.7 million bonus — in other words, the type of pitcher the Rockies tend to explore every possibility with as a member of their future rotation.
However, club officials said they would discuss a move to the bullpen, which could mean a quicker path to the Majors — possibly with a significant role.
Fall League was a tough read. The outings were spaced three or four days apart until the end, when he struck out three and gave up a hit Tuesday, then pitched a clean inning Thursday. Hill played with his sliding grip to get positive results and showed more confidence moving his fastball around the strike zone.
Hill could also serve as a test case for the effectiveness of a program Wallace and the organization instituted this year. Using ArmCare technology, data on pitchers’ strength, fatigue and recovery was shared with Wallace and Minor League coaches and officials, and the information was used to guide each pitcher toward an individualized routine.
The Rockies’ addition of the “Lab,” which is being built at the Scottsdale training facility and expected to open in early December, will allow Hill and other minor and major league pitchers to work in controlled conditions and record data that can be used to aid performance and health throughout the season.
However, Hill appreciated being removed from the Minor League one month before the end of the season. His extra month in Arizona justified the decision.
“I had two months (out of competition) to think and see what I needed to improve on,” Hill said. “I could get frustrated with it, or I could work to go back and redeem myself somewhat by practicing the things I was working on.”
