The year was 2017. Tejay Antone, a Reds draft pick, was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery while with the Daytona Tortugas, Cincinnati’s Advanced-A affiliate. The 23-year-old Antone typically sat in the low to mid-90s with his fastball, but as he rehabbed, he aimed higher.
As Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports, Antone posted a photo on social media with the caption “Road to 100” while rehabbing. This was met with some ridicule, as several fellow players expressed doubt.
Three years later, Antone was promoted to the majors with the Reds. Working both as a starter and in relief, Antone recorded a 2.80 ERA (179 ERA+) in 35 & 1/3 innings.
The year is now 2021. Antone is throwing even better than he did in 2020. And, on May 21, he accomplished his goal.
While pitching against the Milwaukee Brewers, Antone struck out Omar Narvaez swinging with a fastball. It was one in a long line of Ks for Antone this season, but this one was notable for its speed: 100.2 miles per hour. Antone, for the first time, had hit triple digits.
The highlight of this story, obviously, is Antone’s increase in velocity. But his journey between 2017 and now was about so much more.
The Repertoire of Antone
Antone features a sinker averaging 96.6 mph this season. Naturally, throwing harder helps him on the mound, as a hard heater can be used to simply overpower hitters. Yet, Antone only throws the pitch 30.9% of the time, a low percentage for a plus fastball. In fact, he’s throwing the pitch nearly 10% less than he did in 2020.
Compare his 30.9% rate to Gerrit Cole, the Yankees’ ace with a 97.2 mph fastball. He throws the pitch 47.1% of the time. So, why does Antone throw his so little, and why is he throwing it so much less?
Working in Reverse
Antone is a proponent of what they call “pitching backwards”. Many pitchers like to start batters with the fastball, preferring to get ahead with the pitch, with the hope of putting the batter away with an offspeed or breaking ball.
Antone likes to work the other way, starting batters with his curveball or slider, and then attacking with his sinker. He discussed the idea with David Laurila of Fangraphs in April:
“That seems counterintuitive, because you would think that if you’re throwing harder, and your fastball is getting better, you’d want to throw it more… I’ve seen some other guys with really good fastballs actually kind of pitching backwards.”
Antone mentioned Yankees’ closer Aroldis Chapman as someone that he has witnessed pitching backwards. Chapman notably re-added a splitter to his repertoire late last season, and is throwing his fastball a career-low 57.1% of the time in 2021.
Trouble with the Curve (and Slider)
The philosophy has benefitted Antone and his sinker, a pitch that opponents are hitting just .222 against, with a whiff rate of 29.8% (Baseball Savant). However, he told Laurila that the pitch isn’t his best offering “at all”.
“Statistically, I think [my best pitch is] my curveball. Confidence-wise, and being able to throw it in any situation, it would be my slider.”
Antone also mentioned that he received some help with his curveball from none other than famed Driveline advocate and 2020 NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer. Antone told Laurila that Bauer helped him with his mechanics, ensuring that he could “get out front” of the pitch.
And he’s right about the statistic part. Batters are just 1 for 30 against Antone’s curveball this season, a .033 average. 15 of the 30 at-bats ending in the curveball have resulted in strikeouts, as well. A whiff rate of 40.7% is also an increase from 2020’s 34.9% rate.
These two pitches, the curve and the slider, are ones that Antone says he has thrown for a long time. However, he found the slider in its current form after a visit to Driveline Baseball. He discussed this with Laurila:
“I went to Driveline a few years ago and did a pitch-design session on the slider. Since then, it’s only improved.”
Against Antone’s slider, hitters are just 3 for 26 (.115 avg) this season. He’s used the pitch mainly against right-handed batters this year, with great success.
Tejay Antone: the Road to Success
Antone has allowed just 5 runs in 23 & 1/3 innings this season, a 1.93 ERA. He has an ERA+ of 235, and a K/9 of 12.0 (Baseball Reference).
The first triple-digit pitch to come from Antone’s hand is a natural eye-grabber, and in a way, it’s a perfect representation of the new age of pitching. But there has been so much more that has gone into Antone’s progression as a pitcher.
The two pitches that he throws the most, and has the most success with, are both breaking balls. The sinker has definitively been his third pitch this season. But, at the same time, Antone’s success wouldn’t be possible without the increased velocity.
We discussed how Antone is a fan of pitching backwards. In order to do so, a pitcher has to be able to put batters away with their fastball. Antone has recorded 8 strikeouts in 25 plate appearances ending against his sinker this season, more than he did in all of 2020 (7 Ks in 53 PA, says Baseball Savant).
But, Antone’s 2021 success still wouldn’t be possible without the improvement of his curveball, helped by Bauer, and the improvement of his slider from the Driveline visit.
The Complicated Art of Pitching
It’s a reminder of just how much goes into pitching at this level. Pitchers are constantly tinkering, and attempting to make adjustments in order to improve. For Antone, these adjustments not only got him to the majors, but have made him one of the most effective relievers in baseball since the start of 2020.
If we were to revisit this article in five years, chances are that Antone’s repertoire will look very different in one way or another. It’s not because Antone is tinkering with his stuff just for the sake of it, but because it’s simply necessary at the major league level.