How Giants pick their throwing partners

If you have played baseball or softball at any level, chances are your practices all started off the same way: with a round of catch with a teammate to warm your arm up. It is a tradition and practice as old as the game itself. At some point in your own baseball life, you had your preferred throwing partner. At some point it could have been a parent. Then it became a teammate on your little league team.

It’s the same at the MLB level. Even over a 162-game season, players often warm up before practices and games with the same person. Familiarity is the driving force.

“You just know each other,” said Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb.

Webb’s usual throwing buddy is Alex Cobb, but with Cobb on the injured list, it’s recently become bullpen catcher Taira Uematsu.

“We watch each other throw pretty much every single day, so we can help each other out,” Webb said. “When there are a couple bad [throws], we can kind of yell at each other and say, hey, just do this really quick and usually get back to being right.”

Being able to get feedback from a teammate is another perk of a consistent throwing buddy. They start to notice subtle changes in how their partner is throwing.

“Having someone who sees you throw the same pitches every day, you can give the guy a little bit better feedback,” said rookie reliever Erik Miller, who often has to search fora throwing buddy, being a rookie. “Like hey, [the ball] wasn't doing this today when it usually was or if they are asking you about movement, you have a better idea as opposed to guy throws with them like once every couple of weeks.”

Reliever Ryan Walker, who partnered with Sean Hjelle, is adamant about maintaining that relationship.

“I can't stand throwing with somebody who doesn't know how I throw,” Ryan Walker said. “I throw very uniquely and so I get really nervous because it's hard to see [the ball]. So having someone I know is comfortable playing catch with already, it just makes the day a little easier.”

For rookies like Miller, or infielder Tyler Fitzgerald, finding a consistent partner can be difficult. The more consistent throwing partnerships are usually reserved for the more established players.

“I'm a rookie, so I [throw with], really whoever needs a guy,” says Fitzgerald. “I just kind of either play with an outfielder or catcher in the field or whoever's available.”

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“Oh, they were the best,” said Tyler Rogers of his days throwing in the backyard with his brother. “We play games. Most times hitting the person in the chest, you get a point. Or if you get a breaking ball on the chest, two points,  things like that.”

Baseball players are notoriously creatures of habit. Having that same partner can be a superstitious part of the regimen.

Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski likes to have a little fun at the expense of his throwing buddy, Michael Conforto.

“Mikey likes to try to catch me off guard when we play three-way catch with Jung Hoo Lee,” said Conforto. “He’ll catch a ball and then flip it behind his back when I’m not looking.”

Conforto also added that Yastrzemski likes to catch him off guard with a knuckleball every now and then.

“There's not too many guys on the team that can handle my knuckleball,” said Yastrzemski. “Mike's one of the people who can't handle it, so I like it to test my boundaries.”

Yastrzemski said he keeps an eye out for the pregame cameras to try and embarrass Conforto.

“A lot of it was when we were actually getting ready for the game out on the field and they pan to everybody, and they show everybody on the Jumbotron, I'd wait and I'd watch,” Yastrzemski said. "And when it happened to be on Michael, I would throw either a changeup or a knuckleball in hope that he'd miss it.”

For some it comes down to the fact that both throw similar pitches.

“We both throw the two-seams,” said Webb of his usual throwing partner in Alex Cobb. “It kind of just matched up perfectly.”

Hjelle had a throwing partner when he was with the San Jose Giants named John Gavin who he liked throwing to because Gavin was a lefty and Hjelle a righty.

“For me, throwing opposite hand has always been great,” said Hjelle. “Lefties, the ball just kind of runs into your pocket a little bit so you don’t have to worry about getting jammed up or anything like that for the most part.”

Most players have a former throwing buddy they miss from their past. Hjelle had Gavin, while Walker fondly recalls the days of being able to throw with a healthy Tristen Beck. Before his brother joined the team last year, Dominic Leone was a favorite throwing buddy for Tyler Rogers. Miller enjoyed throwing with Mauricio Llovera. Yastrzemski enjoyed throwing with his old roommate in college, Jack Lupo.

Conforto could not think of anyone from his past that he missed throwing with.

Bonus Question: If you could throw with any past major league player, who would it be?

Michael Conforto: “Ichiro [Suzuki].”

Mike Yastrzemski: “Vladimir Guererro.”

Sean Hjelle: “Randy Johnson. I think that would be the tallest throwing combo that you can think of.”

Erik Miller: “As a Cardinals fan [growing up] I’ll go Bob Gibson.”

Tyler Rogers: “Nolan Ryan.”

Ryan Walker: “Felix Hernandez. He’d be a fun guy to play catch with some nastiness.”

Logan Webb: “I’m going to stick with the Giants and say Matt Cain. I would love to pick his brain.”