Mike Maddux championed Tanner Roark’s return to the rotation from the start, after a lost season for Roark in the bullpen in 2015. Maddux, hired as pitching coach by the Washington Nationals in the winter of 2015-16, talked to reporters at Winterfest 2015 about Roark winning 15 games in 2014 then getting relegated to relief duty after the Nats’ decision to sign starter Max Scherzer pushed him out of the rotation.
As far as Maddux was concerned, the starting spot was Roark’s to lose after he came out of nowhere to win fifteen and then, “... [sat] on his thumb last year out in the bullpen.”
“You've got to admire a guy like him, holy cow,” Maddux said. “I mean, talk about the typical blue collar layman that goes out and wins fifteen ballgames and makes a little notch in his belt for him. That's pretty good. Easy to root for, and I'm rooting for him big time."
In 31 starts in 2014, Roark was (15-10) with a 2.85 ERA, a 3.47 FIP, 39 walks (1.77 BB/9), 138 Ks (6.25 K/9) and a .236/.281/.351 line against in 198 2⁄3 IP, finishing the year at 3.2 fWAR.
The year in the bullpen apparently didn’t have a negative effect.
Roark went (16-10) in 2016, posting a 2.83 ERA, a 3.79 FIP, 73 walks (3.13 BB/9), 172 Ks (7.37 K/9) and a .227/.309/.330 line against in 207 2⁄3 IP as a starter, finishing the year at 3.2 fWAR again.
The one obvious difference is the one Roark pointed to when he was asked to assess his 2016 campaign this past weekend at this year’s Winterfest.
“I was happy with it, myself personally,” he said. “I would have liked to have cut down on the walks, big time, but pretty good season overall. It was a good team effort, but it’s not what we ultimately wanted. The ultimate goal every year is to win the World Series, not just make it there, to win. So that’s our goal this year.”
He also talked about what improvements he’s made over the last few seasons, including mixing things up when he has to face teams repeatedly.
“Throwing all my pitches to both righties and lefties,” Roark explained.
“[Righties] know I have the swing-back slider, lefties know I have the swing-back two-seamer. So, especially in the division, they get used to that and they remember what I’ve done to them previous times and how I’ve pitched them, so now adding a slider into that, coming in and making them move and then slider... it’s always keeping them thinking and having to face four or five pitches each and every time.”
Roark held left-handers to a .213/.315/.302 line and right-handers to a .236/.299/.349 line on the year, a significant improvement over his time in the bullpen in 2015 when lefties put up a .293/.359/.507 line against him and right-handers had a .255/.293/.416 line, and in line with what he did in the rotation in 2014, (.234/.291/.381 vs LHBs and .239/.271/.321 vs RHBs).
Asked about his first season working with Maddux, Roark said it was, “amazing.”
“He’s very vocal and a big mental guy, which I think is a huge part of this game, which everybody I think would agree with. You have the skills, you’ve just got to utilize it up here to make it come alive when you’re out on the field.”
Roark also talked about being reunited with Derek Norris, who was behind the plate with the Double-A Harrisburg Senators in Roark’s second season in the Nats’ system back in 2011.
“He’s a great catcher,” Roark said.
“He’s a good defensive catcher. Frames the ball well, steals strikes, and at the plate he has power and we’re excited to get him back and excited to have him back and seeing him again.”
Asked if he was more comfortable heading into the 2017 campaign knowing that he’s got a rotation spot secured, Roark said he refused to think of it that way.
“I still don’t like to go to Spring Training thinking that I’ve just got a free spot, because I was once a kid in the minor leagues wanting to take someone else’s spot up here, so I never take that for granted. I don’t ever want to take that for granted, because that keeps the fire inside me to compete against every single person on the team.”