When Brett Cecil signed a four year, 30 million dollar contract with the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2017 season, it wasn't a bad contract. The lefty was coming off four consecutive seasons where he averaged 10 strikeouts per nine innings, and had favorable ERA/FIP peripherals in a hitter friendly division out in Toronto.
The plan was for Cecil to accumulate innings in the latter stages of the game, creating a bridge, setting up, or even closing. His talent was built for the job, a man who could put hitters away.
Things didn't go as planned. If Cecil had to rate his 2017 season, he would give it a "5 or 6 out of 10". He plans on making 2018 a lot better, and has stayed in St. Louis all winter long working with trainers at the same facility that former Cardinal Trevor Rosenthal used, which is Output Performance.
Cecil even acquired season tickets for the St. Louis Blues, an affinity for the game that was surely taken up while pitching in Toronto. The hockey games have served a respite for getting early work in this offseason, ramping up the throwing earlier than he ever has in order to work out the kinks that saw lefties beat him up for a .343 batting average and .539 slugging percentage in 2017.
While the bread and butter of Cecil's arsenal is getting righties out at the plate (.561 OPS in 2017), he had better luck with lefties before 2016, holding them to a .691 OPS.
The "why" with Cecil's regression isn't easy to pinpoint, because there wasn't a rapid loss of velocity in 2017. The fastball had the same zip and the cutter had the same mph as before, so hitters didn't get the delivery sooner last year at the plate.
When it came to batting average against with his pitches, Brooks Baseball didn't show a huge difference in performance over the six months with Cecil's fastball, curve, changeup, or cutter.
The only thing that can be detected with Cecil in 2017 is usage. He threw the changeup and cutter more often than he had the past two seasons, which may have resulted in cooking the efficiency of those pitches. Instead of relying on two very good pitches, Cecil acquired the pitch versatility of a starter, which may have tipped the results.
Hitters got to him for a high OPS in four of the six months, but there was a moment in June where he found a groove. Cecil threw 12 innings, held hitters to a 0.7 WHIP, posted a solid ERA, and struck out ten batters. September saw another bright month for Cecil, where he threw 15 innings and posted a 0.5 WHIP.
There were months where Cecil was hit hard with the slug, and others where the average destroyed the outcome. One thing was for sure with him: the consistency was never established.
What about being new to the city and the league? Did Cecil feel some pressure in making himself known? "Yeah, maybe a little bit, but I think things like this (meeting the fanbase at the Warm-Up) certainly help, because they get to meet me. I think it's good for me to interact with the fanbase. I also know everybody on the team as well, so a season under my belt will help," Cecil said.
When I asked him about adjusting from the American League East to the National League Central, Cecil admitted it wasn't easy. "That was difficult, because it wasn't just changing teams. I changed leagues, so there were new teams and a lot of players to learn about," noted Cecil.
Cecil is used to changing roles and having new things pop up, but thinks there has to be a set lineup to shut down games. "At some point during spring training, you have to have your setup guy and closer. I think it's important for guys to know that, because it helps with preparation. We don't have to play a guessing game from the fourth inning guy. It's easier for me to prepare if I know the seventh inning is mine," added Cecil.
Here's the thing about Brett Cecil: there are three years left to prove 2017 was an aberration. He can still rewrite the book without the ink drying on the mound. The bullpen has several open roles and that means proven finishers like Cecil have a shot.
He's certainly eager to erase the struggles of 2017, and he will get ample opportunities to do so.
