There is an old saying that goes, \u201cYou can\u2019t have too much left-handed pitching.\u201d This is especially true in relief, where lefty stoppers are at a premium. The Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> have two on their Opening Day roster. Only one is a returnee from 2021: Joe Mantiply. Mantiply, the 6\u20194\u201d\/219 lb. 31-year-old Virginian, is coming off his best season in 2021. For the first time in his career, he appeared in more than five games and pitched more than three innings. On the season, he pitched 39 2\/3 innings across a team-high 57 appearances. In those, he had a 3.40 ERA, 82 ERA\u2013, a 21.5% K rate, a 9.6% walk rate, seven shutdowns, and a 71.9% Scoreless Outing Percentage (ScOtg%). He also, however, had a 1.563 WHIP, a team-high 11 meltdowns, and a straight one-to-one Goose Egg<\/a>-Broken Egg ratio (average is 3-to-1).<\/p>\n Joe Mantiply certainly had his moments. Shutdowns keep track of how many times a reliever\u2019s appearance increases his team\u2019s Win Probability by 0.060 \u2014 6% \u2014 or more. Mantiply had seven of those. Of the returnees, he was second to Noe Ramirez, who had 12. Meltdowns are the negative counterpart of shutdowns. They keep track of how many times a reliever\u2019s appearance decreases<\/em> his team\u2019s Win Probability by 0.060 or more. Mantiply had a team-high 11 of those in 2021.<\/p>\n Mantiply said that the pitching coaches have worked with him on a few things to make his outings more consistent. \u201cThere are some things I could do with the placement of my fastball. We think that, up and in, I could probably utilize the glove side of the plate more to get a few more swings and misses at the top of the zone. So that’s been the main focus.\u201d<\/p>\n The other aspect of getting more consistent outings is execution of his pitches. He said that his bad outings came down to \u201cmy misses being in spots where I can get hurt.\u201d So the main goal in avoiding that is executing better and \u201cmissing barrels.\u201d<\/p>\n Another part of becoming more consistent is mindset and a positive focus. \u201cI liked the times I had success,\u201d he said. \u201c(I\u2019m trying) to build on that and trying to do that more.\u201d His instructions to himself are \u201ctry to hit on those outings and try not to get too up or too down with good ones or bad ones. Just move on to the next pitch and try to execute.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe Mantiply said that working with pitching coach Brent Strom \u201chas been good. (Strom) definitely has a good mix of the Old School and the analytics, the new kind of stuff. He tries to really tailor it to what you do and not try to make you somebody you\u2019re not. (His goal is to) take what the analytics say and try to help you improve on what you already do.\u201d<\/p>\n Something the Diamondbacks lacked in 2021 was veterans who were consistently effective. In the offseason, they signed 2021 NL Saves leader Mark Melancon as well as setup man Ian Kennedy. Mantiply loves having veterans around. Something he especially likes is \u201cbeing able to bounce things off of guys. Mark and Ian have \u2018been there, done that.\u2019 Whenever you have a question about what they’re thinking in certain situations, they’re definitely willing to give you their expertise. They seem like they’re gonna be really good additions.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe Mantiply has his teammates\u2019 respect. For example, Luke Weaver said of him, \u201cBig Old Joe, the slinging left-hander, has some juice in that arm. (He has a) nasty slider and heavy sink.\u201d Weaver added, \u201cHe\u2019s a workhorse. I feel like last year he was pitching almost every single day. And he’s not one to complain. He just wants the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n Ramirez added, \u201cHe’s a great friend and a great teammate. But we saw last year how effective he can be. Nasty. He can pound the zone and goes after hitters. If he’s gonna get beat, it\u2019s gonna be with his best stuff. He’s never tiptoeing around the strike zone; he\u2019s always going right after hitters. I think that’s why he’s had success. He competes, throws strikes \u2014 he\u2019s pretty much gonna let them hit it. It’s pretty cool to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n Ramirez, like Weaver, noted Mantiply\u2019s durability. \u201cIt seems like it throws almost every single day. I thought I<\/em> threw a bunch last year. But you look at his appearances, he’s a workhorse. It’s always good to have that guy.\u201d<\/p>\n Weaver summed Mantiply up as someone who can get a killer instinct when necessary. \u201cWhen you get out there and watch him feed off some of his edge\u2026. He’s a chill guy, but he’s one of those guys who, when he gets out there, an animal can come out a little bit. We love that. Because you need that in the big, big situations. He got some huge outs for us last year.\u201d<\/p>\nConsistency<\/h3>\n
Working with Brent Strom<\/strong> and with the Veterans<\/h3>\n
Respect for Joe Mantiply<\/h3>\n
Main Photo:<\/h4>\n