'Pitching as an art form': Bryce Miller adds deception to his arsenal

Stephen Vogt had a question for Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller earlier this month.

Vogt is acquainted with Miller through his role as an assistant coach with the Mariners last season. The day after Miller's June 18 start in Cleveland, the Guardians manager approached him and asked:

"What the [expletive] was that?"

The right-hander recounted that Vogt was half-kidding, half-serious in his inquiry about Miller's delivery changes. Those alterations weren't included in Cleveland's scouting reports.

In recent years, pitchers have enjoyed incredible performance improvements, from increasing fastball velocity to adding lab-tested breaking balls. Miller possesses a prized high-spin fastball and added a splitter this year.

But pitchers have become a bit formulaic, too. They often throw the same pitches with similar velocity and movement profiles, and they rarely vary their deliveries beyond shortening them when a runner is on base. Some throw from the stretch in all situations. The game is long removed from the exaggerated overhead windups, funky arm motions, and high leg kicks of bygone eras.

What Vogt and the Guardians saw earlier this month was different, however. Miller altered his throwing motions and tempo. He attempted to disrupt batters' timing beyond changing pitch speeds with his new rabbit- and turtle-mode settings. And while he's not the only pitcher to alter his motion, he showed that it can be experimented with successfully in season.

What exactly do Miller's new modes look like? Will others follow?

On his first offering of the evening to leadoff hitter Steven Kwan on June 18, Miller went into his normal windup for his first pitch, slowly lifting his left leg to about his waist level before making his way down the mound. It was smooth but methodical. No hesitation, no jerkiness.

The first surprise came on the next pitch. He barely lifted his left leg and moved quicker down the mound. It was his version of a quick pitch.

His next five offerings to Kwan and Andrés Giménez were thrown normally, resulting in two outs.

But on his first pitch to Jose Ramírez, Miller again used the quick pitch. He followed with normal, fast, and then added a slow tempo on the fourth pitch.

Miller lifted his leg as he typically would with no runners on, but then stuttered as he lowered it. Ramírez offered at the 97-mph fastball but was late on it, popping it up down the third baseline for a foulout.

During his June 1 start against the Los Angeles Angels, Miller tried to disrupt the leg kick of Angels shortstop Zach Neto. As Miller lifted his leg, Neto lifted his. But Miller stalled, staying balanced on his right leg, until Neto placed his front foot on the ground. Then Miller moved forward down the mound.

"I think he was confused," Miller said of Neto. "That wasn't on the (scouting) report."

Miller's delivery variations got Vogt's attention in Cleveland. Will the rest of baseball notice?

Miller said his coach at Texas A&M, Rob Childress, had pitchers regularly practice an unusual drill.

Miller said Aggies pitchers would lift their front leg and balance on their drive leg atop a mound-like platform. They would hesitate there, holding the position momentarily, before moving forward into the pitch. Their front foot landed on about a one-foot-wide strip. The practice was designed to teach balance and direction.

"That's how we started all of our bullpens, and I still do it," Miller said. "(This season), I was like, 'If I'm doing it in every bullpen, I might as well do it in every game.' If a hitter has a big leg kick, it messes with timing."

Is there a performance trade-off? Miller doesn't believe so.

"I feel good with it. I can still locate," he said. "Actually, some of my higher velos have been ones where I've done more hesitation."

His fastest pitch against the Guardians - the 97.3-mph fastball to Ramírez - came after a hesitation delivery. When he went to his quick slide step, he was sitting at 94-95 mph, right around his average fastball (95 mph) for the outing.

"He is curious, as much so as any other guy we've had," Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto told theScore in spring training. "If you talk to Bryce, you get the 'Aww shucks' version. But he's really sharp. He puts together plans better than most."

After seeing Miller experiment with the hesitation in a game this spring, Seattle pitching coach Pete Woodworth encouraged him to try it more often.

Can more pitchers do it? Should they?

While there are others who mix their tempos with success - Nestor Cortes in New York, Johnny Cueto throughout his career, and a number of arms from Japan - most pitchers are machine-like.

"A lot of guys try to be really consistent in their delivery. I also do a lot of athletic throwing in practice," Miller said, holding a football in the dugout the day after this start in Cleveland.

Veteran Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber, who watched Miller's start in Cleveland while he remains sidelined following Tommy John surgery, said he's "messed around" with varied delivery tempos but doesn't know if there would be broad appeal for other arms.

"I think it depends on what type of pitcher you are," Bieber said. "(Cortes and Miller) are viewing pitching as an art form of disrupting timing.

"I've messed around with it a little bit. It's fun. But I'm out there to throw my best pitch, and if I execute it, I put myself in the best chance to succeed. So, I'm not worried about disrupting the hitter's timing."

If Miller sticks with his range of working speeds and finds another performance level this year, perhaps more pitchers will follow him. Perhaps changing pace can make the game a little more difficult for hitters, and a little more entertaining to watch.

Travis Sawchik is theScore's senior baseball writer.