Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Pictures
Bowden Francis was one in every of baseball’s finest pitchers over the ultimate two months of the 2024 season. From August onward, the 28-year-old Toronto Blue Jays righty made 9 begins and posted a 1.53 ERA with 56 strikeouts whereas permitting simply 24 hits and 7 walks throughout 59 innings.
All advised, Francis recorded a 3.30 ERA, a 22.5% strikeout price, and a 5.4% stroll price final season throughout his 27 appearances (13 begins) spanning 103 2/3 innings. It stands to motive that the minuscule .211 BABIP he allowed isn’t repeatable, although it will not be due for as a lot of a regression as you would possibly anticipate. Inducing weak contact is Francis’ modus operandi on the mound, and a low BABIP is a function of his recreation, not a fluke.
Contemplating the precedence for pitchers to generate as many swings and misses as attainable, once I spoke with Francis throughout spring coaching, I needed to grasp his strategy to pitching. Particularly, I requested him, “How do you get guys out?”
“Pounding the strike zone,” mentioned Francis, who was chosen out of Chipola Junior School within the sixth spherical of the 2017 draft. “Strike share, getting guys on their heels extra. Mixing it up and shifting it round, attempting to maintain them off stability. Pitchability is my factor. I’ve by no means been super-overpowering. I’ve at all times been extra on the artful facet.”
Which isn’t to counsel his arsenal lacks a putaway pitch. Francis, a former Brewers farmhand who was traded to the Blue Jays in 2021, developed a splitter final spring, and the addition proved to be a difference-maker. He threw his splitter 287 instances to the tune of a .169 batting common and a .169 slugging share. Furthermore, he didn’t surrender a house run off the pitch. The providing’s genesis got here courtesy of a recreation of catch.
“I’d needed a changeup my complete profession, however I at all times had bother with being too behind it,” Francis defined. “Lastly, final yr I discovered a bit of break up. I used to be throwing with Chris Bassitt and he confirmed me his grip. It was alright at first, after which because the season went on I simply saved repping it, repping it. Within the pen, I couldn’t actually use it as a lot, however as soon as I received again into the rotation I might use it extra.”
Francis grips his splitter together with his index finger on a seam and his center finger not on a seam. “A reasonably large break up” is how he described it. Requested the way it differs from teammate Kevin Gamman’s signature splitter, Francis mentioned that Gausman’s is extra middle-finger dominant with “a distinct orientation of spin,” whereas his personal is extra ring-finger dominant.
Regardless that they each have nasty splitters, Gausman isn’t the perfect pitcher within the Blue Jays rotation to check to Francis. In line with Baseball Savant, primarily based on velocity and motion, the most important league pitcher most just like Francis is none aside from his new teammate, Max Scherzer.
“That’s fairly cool,” Francis mentioned when knowledgeable about this. “We’re not all that related personality-wise, however I do try for the pitchability he has, and I believe we’ve got related fastballs and motion plots. I’ve been capable of speak pitching with him a bit of bit — issues like altering speeds, having variations in your pitches, and the mentality between every pitch — and hopefully that’s going to be an ongoing factor. I’ll have each of my ears open.”
Very like Scherzer, Francis has his ears and eyes on pitching analytics — however solely to a sure extent. The righty advised me that whereas he is aware of all of his metrics, he’s “not a rat about it.” He considers himself extra of “a really feel man,” somebody who makes use of analytics as a instrument whereas nonetheless embracing an old-school strategy to his craft.
His arm slot and first fastball have each modified over time. The previous did so organically, whereas the latter was purposeful on the advice of Milwaukee’s pitching gurus.
“Arising, I used to be fairly low,” Francis mentioned of his arm slot. “In JUCO, I used to be like low three-quarters. I used to be additionally at all times two-seam. Then I received drafted by the Brewers. Proper round 2018, analytics began coming round they usually have been saying how nicely I used to be spinning the ball — nearly too excessive for a two-seam — so I ought to spin a four-seam. I switched and began getting extra swing-and-miss, extra popups. I saved going with it, and over time my (arm slot) steadily crept up. It wasn’t loopy; it was fairly gradual. It was unconscious, actually.”
Which carry us to one thing that has turn into his fame with Blue Jays followers: mindfulness. The Tallahassee native has mentioned the topic beforehand — this piece by MLB.com’s Julia Kreuz, from March 2024, is nicely value a learn — however I used to be nonetheless inquisitive about how his zen-like mindset impacts him as a pitcher.
“I spotted how vital it’s,” Francis mentioned. “Watching how guys dealt with their enterprise, how poised they’re on the mound… once I was in Double-A, I spotted how vital it’s to manage your feelings. I used to be watching the playoffs and questioning how they have been holding their composure and never letting the second get too massive.
“I began doing a deep dive into the mind-and-body connection. I went right into a rabbit gap with that in 2020. I spent the entire yr, principally, out in Arizona with Native American practices of meditation. It utterly modified my in-game pace, I suppose you would name it. The sport was faster for me. Now I can sluggish it down.”
Three Cy Younger awards into his 18-year profession, Scherzer presents very in a different way from Francis regardless of the similarity of their stuff. In contrast to Francis, all it’s a must to do is watch Scherzer for an inning to know that he’s intense and emotional. A lot for that motive, the youthful Blue Jay had a calmer comp for himself in thoughts.
“I’m extra of a Kyle Hendricks,” Francis mentioned. “‘The Professor.’ He’s form of monotone on the mound. I like watching him. He’s nice.”
