Theo Denlinger credits WooSox pitching coach Paul Abbott with pitch changes: 'I have definitely picked his brain'
Bradley University has only had 16 players make their MLB debut in their entire history. The school has had 88 players in total get drafted. Theo Denlinger would like to be number 17 that has reached the major leagues.
Denlinger was drafted in the 7th round of the 2021 MLB draft. Alongside Bradley teammate Brooks Gosswein, the duo became the first players to be picked in the top ten rounds since 1995 from the school. Denlinger noted he and Gosswein remain close and considers it an honor to be playing for his small school in Peoria, Illinois.
Just one year ago today, Denlinger was pitching for the Double-A Birmingham Barons as a member of the Chicago White Sox organization. Fast forward to present day, Denlinger is now pitching in Triple-A for the WooSox and he “loves how crazy” Red Sox fans are and how they embraced him from the start.
“It was pretty insane.” Denlinger commented on the trade. “It was like a week before I was supposed to report to Arizona for Spring Training. The White Sox called me in and said we are sorry to lose you, but the Red Sox really wanted you and we think this is going to be really good for your career and moving forward. As soon as I talked to some of the staff with the Red Sox, they told me they would treat me right and love having me in the system to coach me up. The transition has been perfect, and I couldn’t ask for more. Red Sox fans are crazy, and I am a little crazy myself so it’s a perfect fit.”
Denlinger was recently promoted to Worcester and has been soaking in the experience since day one.
“It’s been incredible.” Denlinger said about the experience. “Just the experience of being up here with guys who have been there. You have a guy like Kaleb Ort going up and down, so he has a ton of experience with it. I have been picking a lot of guys brains about pitching and how it is up there. Things like how to get comfortable here and settle in so that’s been an incredible thing to have.”
With the promotion to a new level comes a new coaching staff. WooSox pitching coach Paul Abbott spent 11 seasons in the MLB during his pitching career and knows a thing or two to show to the young guys on the team.
“I have definitely picked his brain.” Denlinger said about Abbott. “The second day I was up here I threw a bullpen with him. He was already talking about changing my cutter grip. Instead of being on the horseshoe, he wanted me to slide a little down. He implemented that and I tried throwing that in the bullpen and it felt pretty good. He came up to me right before the game and said that teaching earlier was just talk and I didn’t need to throw it in the game. I actually felt pretty comfortable with it and I struck a guy out on it that game. Abbott asked what pitch I struck the guy out on, and I said it was the new cutter. He hit me with “I knew I was a good coach.”
Change is inevitable once you reach the higher levels of the minor leagues. Denlinger certainly isn’t the first guy to talk about Abbott or even his teammates showing him a new grip on a pitch or even a whole new pitch all together.
“I have been going throw a ton of changes this year.” Denlinger said. “My regular curveball is now a spiked curve. The cutter I came in with this year wasn’t producing and that was changed by Abbott. I had a slider, and it wasn’t really at the velocity they wanted so that’s why they changed the cutter to make it a little more slider-like with good velocity. We got rid of the slider and I have my two-seam and four-seam.”
Denlinger has only been in Worcester for a little under two weeks and is absorbing everything he can. Whether its changes made by the pitching staff or stuff seen by his teammates, his head seems to be in the right place to succeed in Triple-A.
“Just playing catch with guys and them seeing how it moved that day.” Denlinger noted about working with his teammates. “They might tell you your two-seam is really working today or its not working and you want to go four-seam. Picking guys brains while playing catch and seeing how your pitches were moving is so important. It might be moving like a true cutter or more like a slider cutter and they pick up on that. Guys that have the same pitch can tell you how mine moves and how their pitch moves, this is what works and what doesn’t. It’s been great and there is so much knowledge here.”
The 26-year-old has appeared in 3 games for the WooSox since his promotion. WooSox manager Chad Tracy noted it was a slight adjustment from Double-A to Triple-A with the automatic strike zone for Denlinger. Over the next few weeks, they will look to see what role he settles into for Worcester.
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