Pitcher Baz makes quick exit from Biscuits
Shane Baz opened the season in Montgomery and quickly made the transition to Durham and Triple-A after building a 2.48 earned run average with the Biscuits. (Graham Dunn)
By TIM GAYLE
Shane Baz would love these Biscuits.
The former Montgomery hurler, now two weeks into his new role at Triple-A Durham, had impressive statistics with the Biscuits, but his first five games in Double-A included four losses and a no-decision.
“That’s the most important thing,” Baz said. “Every time you pitch, you want to get the team a win. If they don’t score any runs when you’re pitching, you get a no-decision, but if (the Biscuits) score one run, that should be enough. That’s probably the thing I want to do the most is get ‘Ws.’ It definitely hurts, starting the year off 0-4. You’ve just got to pitch better. It’s not like we haven’t scored when I’m pitching, we’re just losing when I come out. We’ve got such a good team, I don’t want to be costing us ballgames.”
The Biscuits (22-24) open a six-game home stand against the Double-A South leading Mississippi Braves on Tuesday while playing their best baseball of the season. Montgomery is coming off a five-game series sweep of Biloxi, scoring 38 runs in that stretch.
To put that in perspective, Baz went 0-4 with a no-decision in the month of May while allowing just 14 runs in those five games, including eight in the first four. Despite the rocky start, the Cypress, Texas native had a sunny outlook.
“It’s been really fun,” he said. “First time in Double-A, it’s been cool, the ballparks are great. I’ve just been enjoying it, being back out here.”
Like all minor-league players, he had an unexpected hiatus in 2020 as COVID-19 forced Major League Baseball to cancel the minor-league season, but his work at the 2020 alternate training site allowed him to focus on an effective changeup and a developing curveball.
Baz, drafted by the Pirates out of high school in 2017, was traded to the Rays with two other players for Chris Archer at the 2018 trade deadline. As he refined his product at the Single-A level, his fastball would reach triple digits, causing his stock to soar. Pitchers with his ability can serve a variety of roles on a team, but those who are paid to evaluate players thought Baz could be effective as a starter, provided he could lower the number of walks.
“I try to just not listen,” he said. “Anybody who’s saying that hasn’t watched me pitch one time, they’re just looking at numbers and making assumptions. I just try to get ahead of the hitters more and not pitch around them.”
In 2019 at Bowling Green, he had a 2.99 earned-run average in 17 games along with 87 strikeouts, but he also had 37 walks.
In seven games in Montgomery, he had a 2.48 ERA with 49 strikeouts and just two walks. After walking the first batter he faced (Tennessee’s Christian Donahue) on a full-count pitch, he retired the next 12 batters in order and faced 49 batters over four games before walking the second one, Birmingham’s Micker Adolfo, on another full-count pitch
“A lot of guys at this level are hunting one pitch, whether it’s a fastball or breaking ball or whatever,” Baz explained. “A lot of them want to see one out of your hand before (they swing) and if guys are going to do that, you’ve got to put it in the zone and take advantage of it. Just putting it in the strike zone is big because a lot of guys like to take the first pitch.”
Baz, the first real prospect on a Montgomery team that struggled in May, gave up no hits in the no-decision; three hits and a run on May 11; two runs and seven hits on May 16; four hits and two runs on May 22; and five hits and four runs, three coming on a Drew Lugbauer homer, in a May 28 loss that dropped his record to 0-4.
He won the next two outings, pitching five innings of perfect ball in his last game at Montgomery on June 9. He faced 15 batters, striking out six, before walking off the mound with a 2-0 lead. Despite any desire to stay on the mound during a perfect game, he had thrown the five innings desired from a starter and gave way to the bullpen.
“They’re the ones that sign the paychecks so I’m listening to them, no matter what they say,” Baz said. “Obviously, you want to stay out there as long as you can in any game. But I trust them and know they have the best intentions.
Two days later, he was gone, promoted to Durham (where he has a similar line of 20 strikeouts and three walks in 14 innings, owning a 1-0 record in three games after allowing just two earned runs). He’ll miss Biscuits pitching coach Doc Watson, who worked on his development.
“Honestly, most of the working on and tweaking and little adjustments happen in your bullpen sessions or maybe a little before the game,” Baz said. “Once you get in the game, you’ve got to read the batter and figure out what to throw. Doc’s always trying to help me get better so any time he’s talking to me about something, I’m going to do it. He’s been around and he’s got great knowledge of the game.”
He’ll also miss his time with Montgomery manager Morgan Ensberg. As a youngster in the Houston suburb of Cypress, Baz grew up an Astros fan and often watched their third baseman during his professional baseball career.
“I watched Morgan play third,” Baz said. “He played with some really good guys and he had a good career. He’s been there, done that.”
Baz hopes to follow in Ensberg’s footsteps. As much as he enjoyed his time in Montgomery, he’s eager for a shot with the Rays.
“The goal is always try to get to the big leagues, that’s always the goal, but you have to block everything out when you go out and pitch and just think of that outing and take it one pitch at a time,” Baz said. “If you’re thinking when am I going to move up, that’s when you get distracted.”