May 1, 2019
Photo credit: Niall O’Donohoe
Right-handed pitcher Joey Pulido is looking to build off his strong 2018 season that saw him pitch for three clubs.
Finishing 2018 with an opponent batting average of .162, a WHIP of 0.87, and a K/9 ratio of 7.9; was a great start to Pulido’s career, and was a clear indicator that he was ready for a bigger workload in 2019.
And his opportunity at that bigger workload came this spring when he joined the low-A Lansing Lugnuts out of camp.
Dealing with a little adversity at the beginning of the season, Pulido has allowed nine earned runs in 10 innings.
Obviously, he’ll be looking to cut down on the runs in his upcoming outings. While, he works on that he’ll be taking in the scenes of playing in Lansing.
“I like the community that surrounds Lansing,” said Pulido. “It’s full of unique places to eat and visit. The cold weather has affected fans from being able to attend a lot of our games, but I’m sure the stadium will be packed when the weather gets better.”
Another thing Pulido is looking forward to this season is sharpening his command of his off-speed pitches.
“My main goal for 2019 is to sharpen and develop my off-speed pitches more.” explained Pulido.
Currently he uses a changeup, a slider, and a curveball that complements his 2-seam and 4-seam fastballs nicely.
Using the fastball early in counts helps Pulido get ahead of hitters and get quick outs. Those are two things he always strives for – that and mixing in his off-speed pitches as much as possible.
“I usually attack hitters early with the fastball,” stated Pulido. “For me getting quick outs is how I’m most effective. I like to mix all of my pitches in-and-out to hitters. 2-seams in under the hands of righties allows me to set up my off-speed away.”
Toronto Blue Jays fans will definitely want to keep an eye on Joey Pulido, as he continues to work hard on his off-speed pitches in the upcoming seasons.