Jack Perkins Trusting His Own Stuff Down the Stretch

Athletics pitchers have had to deal with a lot of external factors this season, from the injury to regular backstop Shea Langeliers to the firing of pitching coach Scott Emerson. Added into the mix is figuring out how to pitch at Sutter Health Park — one of baseball's most hitter-friendly parks — on top of the regular development a pitcher goes through early in their career.

Figuring out the best way forward can be difficult at times with all of that change, and it's something that A's right-hander Jack Perkins is looking to navigate over the final weeks of the season. 

"I think it really makes you take ownership for who you are and what you want to do," Perkins said. "That's honestly been a big part of the mental struggle. In the past, it's been like I kind of need someone to give me the reassurance that I'm on the right track, or doing the right things, versus, like I said, the belief factor of believing in what I think is right and what I'm doing."

The thought process here is that if things do go wrong, at least it'll be following a plan that he believed in, rather than something he may not have fully believed in. 

Everything from this point forward is going to involve finding the right mindset for Perkins, who said that he's gotten away from trusting his stuff at times, instead looking to be more fine with his pitches. 

The righty is 3-10 this season with a 6.50 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP in 33 outings (13 starts) spanning 98 ⅓ innings. Batters have hit .263 against him while he's tacked on a 10.4% walk rate. While his ERA is well over six, his FIP has been a lot better at 4.86. 

"It's been this constant cycle of tinkering rather than just truly investing and diving into the competitive mindset," Perkins said. 

He's gotten away from being the bulldog in the minor leagues that he was described as, and he's looking to find that version of himself at the big-league level. He's been tinkering mechanically over the past year and a half in an effort to stay healthy, and he feels some of that doubt in his own stuff at times has allowed batters to feel comfortable in the box. 

Perkins has also been diving into the data a little more of late, looking at what has been working for him and what has been ineffective. He's been using some of that data to help dictate what his usage patterns will look like moving forward. 

"The sweeper and the changeup are having quite a bit of success this year, and the fastball is not," Perkins said. "The in-zone percentages with those two pitches are eerily similar, if not better than the fastball. So it's like, well, if we get behind the count, why not throw one of those two pitches if they're going to yield better results?"

His sweeper has a .220 batting average against with a .209 expected batting average (xBA), while the changeup has a .225 BAA and a .194 xBA. By comparison, his four-seamer, which is his most-used pitch, has a .298 BAA with a .253 xBA. All three expected batting averages suggest a lack of luck on his side this season. 

On top of figuring out his mix, the last month will also be about figuring out how to best incorporate his fastball. He's a power pitcher, so it should be a useful piece for him, but he'll be looking into whether he needs to make changes metrically, or add some deception to it.

We also asked if this could be an opportunity for a grip change.

"Potentially," Perkins said. "I think seam orientation goes into it. I think the way I'm holding it could be kicking the axis a little bit and creating a little more of a flatter look to where it's not missing barrels — it's getting hit. Just kind of with my arm angle and my approach angle to the plate, pitching up in the zone with it is where I have my success. 

"So really diving into the sequencing with it, using it at the right times, and then just trying to find an advantage of how we can make this pitch just a little bit better."

Perkins will be getting his next start on Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.