PHOENIX _ The realization struck Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood one day last September. He was watching a game in the dugout with fellow pitcher Brandon McCarthy, and they got to talking about how pitchers use two deliveries. Wood would later refer to this conversation as "an epiphany."
"What idiot created the windup and the stretch?" Wood said on Wednesday at Camelback Ranch, after completing his first round of live batting practice of the spring. "Thinking about the logic behind it, it just makes no sense. If you're at this level and you're any good, there's no advantage to throwing out the windup, instead of the stretch."
From that conversation last fall, Wood revamped his approach to 2018. Hoping to recapture the mechanical cleanliness and vibrant fastball that carried him to an All-Star team in the first half of last season, he has ditched the windup and intends to pitch the entirety of the season out of the stretch. He hopes to emulate his former teammate Yu Darvish and Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who have experienced success while working exclusively out of the stretch.
Wood threw that way throughout the winter. He maintained the stance during an inning against hitters on Wednesday. Wood completed the session with only one minor hiccup, a wayward fastball that clipped third baseman Justin Turner on the shoulder.
Wood injured his right ankle during a running drill last week. He has been limited in his conditioning work but has maintained his throwing program.
Wood, a 27-year-old left-hander, saw his performance take a significant dip in the second half of last season. He went 10-0 in the first half with a 1.67 ERA. After the All-Star break, he went 6-3 with a 3.89 ERA. He surrendered 13 homers in the second half, after permitting just two before the break.
Along the way, Wood dealt with inflammation in the joint that connects the sternum and the clavicle. Wood insisted the condition did not affect his performance, although his fastball dropped from 92.97 mph in the first half to 91.65 mph in the second, according to Brooks Baseball.
Wood felt his lack of mechanical cohesion decelerated his fastball. That is why he decided to dump the windup.
"He's synced up," manager Dave Roberts said. "For him, just to simplify will allow him to stay consistent throughout the season. Mechanically, he's right where he needs to be."
