In his second season with the Orioles, 36-year-old right-hander César Valdez is still confounding American League hitters. And he's doing it in the ninth inning. And not with a 98 mph fastball, but rather a changeup that averages 78 mph.
He is the opposite of a flamethrower and he uses his changeup 82 percent of the time. It's been so good that he is off to a 2-0 start with four saves and an ERA of 0.96 in eight games. He's allowed seven hits and one walk over 9 1/3 innings with 10 strikeouts.
Last year, when he was 1-1 with a 1.26 ERA, he got a whiff rate of 31.6 percent with his so-called "dead fish" changeup. This year, that is up to 37.1 percent. He's even getting more ground balls this year, too.
His changeup is so good that it looks like he throws a couple of different versions of it. But he said today that is not the case.
"What changes is the angle of my arm and my hand. I am trying to go out there and compete. Trying to survive and trying to get outs for my team," Valdez said this afternoon via Zoom through team interpreter Ramón Alarcón.
"What I've been given is a learning opportunity, a learning experience. To not give up. I think that is the main thing with me. At the beginning, I was not sure if I was able to come back to the states and play. I was not sure of the future. But thankfully to my agent, to my wife, they supported me and encouraged me to take it on. Thank goodness things have gone well. So it's been a heck of a learning experience for me."
Signed originally out of the Dominican Republic by Arizona in 2005, it was in 2010 when he made his major league debut with that club. He would not pitch in the majors again until 2017 and then not again until Aug. 29 last summer for the Orioles versus Toronto. He then unleashed his changeup that has massive movement on it to AL hitters and that night fanned five in three scoreless innings.
More success would come for the pitcher that was then 35 and is proving some people wrong.
"I think that, originally, it was a lot of doubt," he said. "A lot of doubt overall in all aspects. With my age, because I don't throw as hard as X, Y or Z. How am I going to be able to compete because I don't throw this hard, or I don't have this fastball with me?
"But I think with time, that reaction has changed a little bit. I'm very thankful for the teammates that I have and the support I have received from my teammates. They encourage me. I'm grateful for the opportunity I've been given. I've been treated well and I noticed that. And I really appreciate that."
It was Orioles manager Brandon Hyde who gave a pitcher with an 85 mph fastball a chance to close. And Valdez's four saves are tied for the AL lead. The current skipper and former catcher marvels at what Valdez is doing.
"He'd be a dream to catch," said Hyde. "Yep. The command is there. His misses are small. He knows how to hold runners. The whole package."
Since joining the Orioles last season, Valdez has allowed just a .224 slugging percentage (four extra-base hits in 85 at-bats) and no home runs. He is 3-1 with a 1.14 ERA and seven saves.
He said several times today how grateful he is for this chance and told us last year that when the Orioles signed out of the Mexican League, there were few if any other major league teams showing interest in him.
So, for this veteran who has pitched for so long, there is just joy when the game is done and his team has won.
"It feels great. It actually feels incredible. I'm going out there for me, for my family. It's been a long time coming, a lot of hard times," he said. "And I've worked hard for it. Now it's time to have fun, enjoy and try to do it as many times as possible.
"I think my story has touched some people, including myself. So I'm very grateful. I'm thankful for the opportunity. Thanks go to God first and then the Orioles for the opportunity that they provided. Now it's time for me to go out there, have fun, and perform and help my team."