According to what pitching coach Dan Warthen told Kristie Ackert of the Daily News, righthander Rafael Montero was tipping his pitches last year and early this Spring.
“He was tipping his pitches,” Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said of Montero, referring to last season and earlier this spring. “Horribly. That’s pretty much all we’ve worked on with him.”
Montero was tipping off hitters when he tried to throw his off-speed pitches, but the difference in his delivery has been noticeable in the last two starts.
“He has a much more consistent delivery,” catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “You could pick up when he was throwing pretty much all his off-speed stuff before.”
Ackert points out that Montero is pitching for a spot in the rotation and that he has likely won a spot on the 25-man roster as a reliever, if the Mets decide to go with veteran Dillon Gee in that fifth spot.
Wow, if this pitch tipping issue has been resolved as his last two starts have indicated, this is huge for Montero who looked absolutely filthy in those outings.
