Cutting Down on the Cutter: Matt Moore Talks 2018 Adjustment

One thing is quite clear when listening to Matt Moore: he is very self-aware … now.

Like most of us, however, that wasn’t necessarily always the case. When he spoke to the Rangers media for the first time since being traded from San Francisco on Friday, the obvious question came up pretty quickly: how about that 2011 ALDS Game One?

“I probably didn’t realize the moment I was in,” the now-28-year-old lefty admits. “I was maybe a little ignorant to where I was and how big the playoffs are.” But perhaps he wasn’t as aloof as he’s letting on. Ask him what he remembers, and that’s when Moore really gets going.

“Kelly Shoppach’s catching and he’s just calling fastball In or Out. I wasn’t concerned with up or down, just in or out. I didn’t really feel like it took much effort to throw the ball In or Out; the higher I went, the better it was. I just remember being very vertical on both sides of the plate, which really just made my breaking ball that much better of a swing and miss pitch. Being able to elevate and be down on both sides of the plate. It really went by fast (…) by the time I knew it, they were shaking my hand telling me ‘that’s enough’.” 

Moore went seven innings of two-hit shutout baseball, striking out six. Six years later, Moore is now a member of the team he beat (though only Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre remain from the Rangers’ lineup that day).

Moore is also aware that his 2017 performance did not measure up to the expectations he set that day.

“I know I’m not a five-and-a-half (ERA) pitcher and it puts a nasty taste in your mouth, sitting on it all winter,” he says flatly. “That’s not who I am and that’s not the line we’re gonna get this year.”

But saying it will get better is one thing. Having a plan to get better? Well, it sounds like Moore has that as well. “I think at times last year, I did get a little happy with certain pitches here and there. The cutter being, probably, the pitch that was most in and out for me last year.” This time when he says In and Out, he’s not talking about the corners of the plate. He’s talking about inconsistency with the pitch. 

“(That’s) not to say it won’t be a part of my game… I just think it’s a matter of making sure your foundational stuff (is right). If you can carry a four-seam on both sides of the plate, then a backdoor cutter becomes that trick up your sleeve to a tough hitter. But I think I was relying on it too much, whether I’d be behind in the count and want to come into the zone aggressively, get some (swing and miss) action on it… I think it ended up being too much of the game plan sometimes.”

But it’s when he starts talking about why the four-seam fastball is important that it becomes apparent: if Moore doesn’t succeed in 2018, it won’t be for a lack of analyzation. 

“It creates the carry more than the arm-side run, and– arm-side run is okay if its up but if it’s down, it’s thigh-high to knee. So I try to backspin that four-seamer as much as I can; it makes my curveball harder to lay off. (The trick is) not just to be hard and have run on it.” 

His self-assessment goes beyond just the pitch selection: 

“Last season a lot of (the problem) was getting in a hole early, and trying to do too much instead of just being okay with six and two (6ip, 2ER); maybe being a little too hard on myself or trying to do something each night to make up for what happened earlier in the season.” As for positive takeaways from a disappointing season? “I was really happy at least with the way I felt (physically) each time out there. Getting myself into a good routine is a plus; overall health and how I feel each day.”

That’s important. Moore underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014, missing the 2015 season. Feeling good in 2017 was never a given. The surgery also contributed to the shift from Moore’s fastball-heavy approach as a youngster into the pitfall of using the cutter a little too much: “Yeah, I think the factor there, where I was maybe back then, I was in the mid-to-upper 90s when I wanted to. Now when i reach back it’s maybe a 94 or 95 coming out.” He talks about the “leniency” of pitching up in the zone when you have that extra 4-5mph.

This is a reminder that while some pitchers return from Tommy John surgery with another 1-2mph on their fastball, that’s not a foolproof guarantee. 

The Rangers will find out soon whether Moore is able to return to his pre-surgery form, or if there’s another way to succeed; perhaps there is a plan that doesn’t require him to boost his fastball back up to 97-98, but also doesn’t rely on his cutter quite as heavily as Moore did in 2017. Perhaps the front-office addition of the indefatigable Colby Lewis—he of so many comebacks who himself had a six-strikeout win in that 2011 ALDS—will be of benefit here.