"Without 2020, I don't think I would be in the position I am in now": Stephen Nogosek looks forward to MLB bullpen role
Stephen Nogosek earned a well-deserved look in the Mets bullpen last year and he showed he belonged. He appeared in 12 games for the Mets and put up a 2.45 ERA in 22 innings pitched. Nogosek pitched well enough to earn a spot in the bullpen for this upcoming season, and he knows the pressure of pitching in New York already.
“New York will let you know when you are struggling. If you win, it’s the best city to win in. It gets crazy.”
“I try to live in the moment as much as possible and take a step back. There are a couple times I will be in the locker room and I lean back in my chair and be like, this has been my dream since I was four years old. I’m doing it, and I’m doing it with the best in the game.”
Things have not always been this way for Nogosek in his young career. It wasn’t until the COVID cancelled season of 2020 to make necessary changes needed to thrive at the MLB level.
"I scratched everything but my heater. I am not going to think about how I throw my slider or how I throw my changeup and completely start fresh. We worked every single day in 2020. I would send my pitching coordinator videos every single day and used Rapsodo and sent him reports and re-did everything.”
“Without 2020 and without that time to really look myself in the mirror and say, you are not good enough with what you are doing right now, and you need to make a change, I don’t think I would be in the position I am in now. Now I feel very confident I can make a good career out of this. I feel confident in what I do can be successful in the big leagues.”
That confidence turned into good results last season. With confidence at an all-time high, there will be one challenge that Nogosek and every other player will have to deal with in the major leagues this year. The rule changes that go into effect this year, which includes the pitch clock:
“The pitch clock wont work. We used it in AAA last year and I understand why they like it. It does speed up the game. It works in AAA to an extent. You don’t have time to really play the game within the game. You don’t have time to think. If I’m facing Mike Trout in a game to send us to October, I don’t want to have to worry about the clock. I want to worry about getting one of the best players out. Its going to be very hard for a guy with five pitches like me. I do think it will affect hitters more than pitchers, where they wont be able to really step out of the box between pitches like they are used to.”
Nogosek reported to Mets camp this week and is out of options. It will be a spot in the bullpen in New York or a bullpen spot on another roster in the majors for the 2023 season.
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