Photo by Ed Delany/MMO

Pitcher Rick Porcello, who joined the Mets in the off-season under a one-year, $10 million deal, hopes to improve on his mechanics in 2020 after a less-than-desirable 2019 season.

With spring training well underway in Port Saint Lucie, Porcello was seen throwing a live bullpen session on Tuesday afternoon. This time is as crucial as any for the 2016 Cy Young winner to refine his skills and be ready for his first time as a National League pitcher.

Porcello himself claimed his mechanics were “really bad.” After coming off a career-worst 5.52 ERA in 2019, Porcello has a lot to prove, and addressing his mechanics is at the top of his list.

Porcello’s spring training performance may mean even more than most, being that he and Michael Wacha are presumably battling for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. He faced Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto, and Rene Rivera in his Tuesday live bullpen session, where Conforto and Cespedes both hit home runs, but were otherwise kept under control.

According to reports, Porcello said he previously focused heavily on the elevation of his fastball, throwing four-seamers, and his breaking ball mix. As a result, he lacked “feeling the ballgame” and the mechanics that could propel him to the success he once saw.

Despite being healthy and averaging 33 starts and 189.2 innings per season, Porcello has admittedly lost touch with what makes each of his pitches most effective.

In his Cy Young-winning season in 2016, where he snagged the title over Justin Verlander in a 137 to 132 vote, Porcello secured a 22-4 record. In 27 of 33 starts, he allowed just three earned runs or fewer, and nine of those starts in which he gave up one run or fewer. While it’s likely the 30-year-old won’t replicate a season like that, he has the potential to bounce back from a rough season with a focus on the right details.

For a predominantly groundball pitcher, who relies on his sinking two-seam fastball, he plans to keep it simple moving forward, focusing on what pitches work best for him to throw strikes. In doing so, he will rely on the coaches, among the likes of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, to refine his spin rates and make other adjustments.

Despite coming off a rocky season, Porcello is confident he will get back to basics – and get good at the basics – in order to solidify himself in the starting lineup for 2020.