Tampa Bay Rays Nathan Eovaldi trying to defy the odds

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is attempting to come back from a second Tommy John surgery. The odds may be against him.

The Tampa Bay Rays are, at least for now, looking at Nathan Eovaldi as a part of the starting rotation. Even with the four man rotation that the Rays are looking to open the season with this year, Eovaldi would still be a starter in the early going.

Normally, the idea that he would be a starting pitcher would not be news. After all, Eovaldi has made all but seven of his 134 major league appearances as a starter. However, Eovaldi is attempting to return to the majors as a starting pitcher after having his second Tommy John surgery, a feat which has been difficult to accomplish.

As it stands, only 31 pitchers have returned to pitch in a major league game after their second Tommy John surgery. Of those pitchers, only 11 have started a game. Then, of those 11 starters, only two, Tyler Chatwood and Chris Capuano, have started more than 20 games. Obviously, if Eovaldi is to buck the odds, he will need to make some changes.

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As it turns out, the Rays starter is looking at making some changes to his approach. Interestingly, one of those changes involves using his curveball more often, a change that may seem somewhat counter-intuitive. However, this may be best for Eovaldi going forward, especially given his reliance upon his fastball, splitter, and slider.

It will be interesting to see how adjusting his arsenal will change his results. While Eovaldi has had streaks of success, he has generally been around average over his career. In his 134 appearances spanning 739 innings, he has posted a 38-46 record, along with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.382 WHiP. His 539 strikeouts over that time are relatively low, given a fastball that averages a tick under 97 MPH.

As Eovaldi relied primarily upon his harder stuff, with the fastball, slider, and splitter, using the slower curve may make a tremendous difference. Opposing hitters would not be able to gear up for those harder pitches during the at bat, as they would then be susceptible to Eovaldi’s curve. Of course, in order for that to happen, he would need to overcome the odds and return to the mound as a starting pitcher.

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The Tampa Bay Rays are giving Nathan Eovaldi a chance to remain a starting pitcher. However, given the general lack of success that pitchers with two Tommy John surgeries have had in coming back, the odds are against him.