Tim Mayza goes from 'lowest of lows' with Blue Jays to 'highest of highs' with Yankees - Sportsnet.ca
During his time in the pitching lab, the Yankees dove into some of the inefficiencies of his mechanics. They juxtaposed his delivery from 2021 against where he was at that moment, broke down what was leading to the variances and created a regimen of drills to correct the issues.
“A lot of it was lower-half based and the timing of where my hips were and my foot plant,” Mayza says. “Being able to see it in the lab and pair it with here's what it looks like in a game, you just get to work with trial and error. Throw a pitch, see if that's what it was, a lot of back-and-forth with throwing pitches, looking at video, deep dives.”
The tools at the Yankees’ lab aren’t very different than those the Blue Jays have — both “provide what I feel like is similar information,” he says — but “the way it's communicated is a little different from the Jays side to the Yankees.”
Mayza’s velocity ticked up with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and he had far less variance during his month-and-half in New York, with a corresponding improvement in his results. In 18 innings across 15 games, his ERA was 4.00, allowing 18 hits and three walks with 12 strikeouts, making him a useful piece for a team with designs on winning it all.
“It's been exciting because obviously competing against Timmy over the last few years, he's been one of the core pieces to the Jays bullpen, he's had a lot of success,” says Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “When we got him, kind of taking a flyer on him when he got DFA’d, he worked a lot with our pitching group and in the lab trying to get some of that stuff back that's been a hallmark of his success. We saw some of that stuff tick up. When he got the opportunity and got called up with us, he did a nice job. He's become an important member down there.”
What lies ahead beyond the World Series is uncertain.
Mayza, 32, has one final year of arbitration eligibility remaining but platforming off a $3.59 million salary this year, he’s a candidate to be non-tendered. If he does re-enter the market again, he’ll do so under far better circumstances than he did in the summer, after the Blue Jays cut ties with him.
“It was tough. It was emotional for me. It was emotional for my family, leaving the franchise and the team that drafted me and was able to give me my first shot in the big-leagues and saw the development throughout,” Mayza says. “The Jays hold a special place for me and a special place for my family. We really became part of that city. I know this game's a business and I'm willing to be honest with myself in that I didn't pitch great. When you don't pitch well there's a chance that your job's at risk and they ultimately made the decision to move on.
“I was fortunate that I was able to latch on with the Yankees, make some adjustments and get back here and contribute in any way possible, getting back to the way I know how to pitch and help these guys out.”
