How Naquin landed on surprising transition to pitching

MESA, Ariz. — Tyler Naquin‘s decision to make a late-career transition from outfielder to pitcher can be traced, in earnest, to a Texas gym parking lot.

After he played just five games in the Majors in 2023 with the White Sox, free agency loomed for Naquin the following January. He was at a gym owned by his friend, Clay Tillman, in College Station when he declared he was going to try something new.

“I just looked at him and I said, ‘I think I’m gonna pitch,’” Naquin said on Friday. “We went and picked up a glove, and we started playing catch. And it was as simple as that, to be honest with you. It was pretty quick.”

After playing eight seasons in the Majors as an outfielder with the Guardians, Reds, Mets and White Sox, Naquin is taking on a unique challenge. On Thursday, the 33-year-old signed a Minor League deal with Cleveland as a pitcher and reported to Minor League camp in Goodyear, Ariz.

Naquin estimated the last time he pitched before this transition was during his freshman year at Texas A&M in 2010. That came in a scrimmage, though he was a closer who started some in high school.

“But, I mean, in high school, everybody pretty much pitches,” Naquin said. “I threw quite a bit then, and then whenever I got to A&M, I threw some bullpens.”

But none of this happened overnight for Naquin, who spent five years with Cleveland (2016-20) after being selected 15th overall in the 2012 MLB Draft. He’s been working at this for the past year.

“I spoke with my family [and said], ‘I’m going to pitch,’ and they were very supportive,” Naquin said. “If we were anywhere, my brother would play catch with me if I had to get catch in. Or wherever I was, I would bring some kind of plyo balls or bands or something, just to keep the arm moving.”

Naquin — who features a four-seamer, a changeup and a cutter — said the first time he took the mound for a bullpen session was Feb. 22, 2024. He was sitting at 85 mph.

“I was like, ‘There’s no way. I could probably go to the outfield right there and hit 100,’” Naquin recalled of that ‘pen session. ​​

Naquin consistently demonstrated some of the best arm strength among outfielders during his position-player career. Among outfielders who made at least 50 throws, he ranked fourth in 2020 (93.0 mph average); tied for ninth in ‘21 (92.6 mph); and tied for 22nd in ‘22 (92.8 mph).

Naquin has been on a throwing program and an arm-care program the past year while assisting Texas A&M baseball’s coaching staff. With the work he’s done, his fastball velocity is now sitting at 94-96 mph off the mound, and it has topped out at 97 mph.

“I definitely think, personally, that there’s more [velocity] in there doing it the right way and learning from [the Guardians],” Naquin said, “and learning my body and how it moves and recovering the right way.”

There is more to pitching than throwing hard, but Naquin wants to take the athleticism he featured as an outfielder and translate it to the mound.

“I would say probably the hardest part [of the transition] wasn’t the arm strength,” he said. “It’s learning how to use it, how to put your body in the right way to sequence up and use it efficiently in order to repeatedly throw the baseball as hard as you can, theoretically, each time, over and over.”

Naquin also recognizes there’s a different toll exacted physically pitching than what he has experienced as a position player. Over the past year, he has picked the brains of pitchers such as Max Scherzer, Nick Goody, Hunter Strickland and Adam Plutko, among others.

“The challenge is learning what is going to work for me moving forward,” Naquin said. “It’s figuring out what works for me, what routine works for me, in order to project me forward the fastest and safest and smartest way possible.”

He’s grateful he has an opportunity to do it with Cleveland.

“I’m thankful to be somewhere I would say — and from what I’ve heard — is No. 1 in pitching development and just treating their pitchers how they should be treated,” Naquin said. “What an opportunity I have to come into that. This is also somewhere where I’m comfortable and I’ve been around, and there’s familiar faces.

“It’s a good recipe for success, if done the right way, and I think I’m in a really good spot for that.”