Reds’ Jimmy Herget thinking ‘backward,’ excited for reunion in Miami

A collegiate starter turned professional closer, Reds prospect Jimmy Herget’s two-plus years of success will be rewarded this weekend in Miami.

There are many ways to get from Tampa, Fla. to Miami.

From taking I-75 down the west coast before cutting north of the Everglades to following the Florida Turnpike for 270 miles, the route is of driver’s preference.

Think of Cincinnati Reds pitching prospect Jimmy Herget as the person behind the wheel. He has the choice of which arm angle is best suited to get the next batter out.

“If it’s going to mess with the hitters, it’s perfect,” said Herget, a sixth-round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. “That’s what pitching is all about.”

The development of Herget’s unorthodox delivery began in sunny Tampa. Born and raised in “The Lightning Capital of the World,” the right-handed pitcher grew up favoring Busch Gardens over Disney World and attended Jefferson High School. While at Jefferson, Herget, thanks to a suggestion from his father, started to tinker with his mechanics and eventually perfected his delivery.

“My dad was like, ‘Hey, you can drop down,'” Herget recalled. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t see the big deal in it.'”

Herget’s windup starts fairly simple. He takes a small right step backward and brings his left knee up. His next moves vary pitch-by-pitch. Mid-delivery, he alters his timing by keeping his leg in the air for different amounts of time. If that isn’t challenging enough, he also differentiates his arm angle, adding another element to the fray.

Through the constant adjustment of timing and arm angle, Herget pitched well in the hometown green and gold of USF. In three years, the 6’3″ righty was 24-11, including a 10-win season as a junior, with a 1.96 ERA in 45 starts.

Despite collegiate success, the Reds viewed Herget as someone who shuts the door in the ninth rather than takes the ball to start.

“Right when I was drafted, they didn’t really say much to me,” Herget said. “When I showed up, they said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be the closer in Billings.’

“I had never really been a reliever before, so I was like, ‘Okay, that’s fine. We will see what happens.'”

Complete domination happened.

In 125.2 professional innings, the former Bull owns a 2.29 ERA, 88 percent save success rate (59 saves in 67 opportunities) and 11.75 K/9. Also, Herget has yet to allow a total of 100 hits — opposing teams are batting just .198.

“As a starter, you can get away with a little more. Sometimes, if you don’t have your best stuff, you can figure something out,” he explained. “But, as a reliever, if you come in and you don’t have your stuff, they can put up a three-spot as quickly as possible. You just have to make sure you are mentally prepared for every outing.”

Herget, unlike some closers, does not regularly light up the radar gun. He is known to touch 96 miles per hour but does not rely on his fastball to overwhelm hitters. Instead, the mental side of baseball carries the 23-year-old.

“It’s not all about velocity. It’s knowing how to pitch, knowing what the batter wants and being able to pound the strike zone,” he said. “As long as you throw strikes good things happen.

“I kind of think backward and then, in situations where he (the batter) wants a fastball, [I] slip a slider in there. Or, if he is sitting breaking ball, [I] sneak a fastball by him.”

On June 19, one day prior to the two-year anniversary of his professional debut, Herget made his first Triple-A appearance with Louisville. He was thrust into a bases-loaded jam with no outs. As few could, Herget struck out the next three batters and went on to complete a scoreless two-inning save.

In testament, the International League has supplied no trouble for the closer. However, Herget has already identified differences between Double-A and Triple-A.

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“I think the hitters here are definitely more experienced,” he said. “There are pitches that I got away with in Pensacola, where it was just off the corner and hitters would bite on it.

“Here, they really kind of sit on it and, if it’s not their pitch, they’re not going to swing.”

Although Herget is only one phone call away from making his major league debut, by no means is he complacent in his pitches and skill.

“[I’m] trying to get my slider over for strikes more. I’m getting the swings and misses that I want, but it’s in counts where the hitter is looking fastball,” said Herget. “If I get more strikes with it, and then pound the zone, I’ll get more outs.”

Before Cincinnati, Herget will be given a taste of the major leagues at MLB’s All-Star Futures Game in Miami on Sunday. It is Marlins Park where his family will see him pitch for the first time in 2017.

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“They came to Daytona quite a bit and, plus, since we played in Tampa and Clearwater, they came to quite a few games,” Herget said of his family. “But Pensacola, they didn’t come. They were planning on coming during the All-Star break, and I got moved up right before that.

“That’s why this is such a cool thing, going to the Futures Game, because they will be able to see me for the first time this year.”