What Sunday's Outing Told Us About D-backs Top Pitching Prospect

Arizona Diamondbacks top pitching prospect Kohl Drake did not have a good first inning in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Los Angeles Angels, but he still managed to come away with a quality outing.

Drake allowed two walks and an RBI groundout in the first, throwing just 10 of his 20 pitches for strikes. But he rebounded nicely in the second, striking out two for a scoreless frame. In that inning, he threw 10 strikes on just 14 pitches.

The young left-hander was not rattled by a lack of command early on. He told reporters following his outing that he was able to settle down from his initial nerves.

"I'm a nervy guy," he said. "I like to use the nerves. If I don't feel them then I feel like I'm not gonna get that adrenaline boost that you get as soon as you get on the mound. But I definitely was feeling them a little bit in the first batter, but after that it kind of just went away.

"I think the first couple batters,I was just pretty amped up to be back in the game. ... And after that, kind of just taking a few deep breaths, and settling in, it really helped a lot," Drake said.

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Arizona Diamondbacks' Kohl Drake on His Outing

It's an encouraging sign to see a young arm recover from initial struggles. Drake's command was much sharper in the second inning, and he was able to collect swing-and-miss on both his four-seam fastball and his curveball. The curveball is one of his better put-away weapons when right.

"The curveball is one of my favorite pitches to throw," Drake said. "I mean, I like to throw all my pitches, but getting a swing and miss on a curveball is pretty satisfying for me."

But he's also working on improving his cutter. Drake said the feedback from pitching coach Brian Kaplan after his outing was positive, citing an improved usage of that cutter as the main takeaway.

"I think it was really good," he said. "One of the main pitches we've been working on so far this spring was my cutter, and being able to really throw that inside to righties, and I did that pretty well today. I did leave one a little bit too low to [Angels shortstop Kyren Paris], and he almost got me with it.

"That's kind of the biggest feedback that I got from him, was like, 'Hey, the cutter was really good.' And that just gives me a lot of confidence going into the season, and knowing that it'll be a valuable pitch."