The Erie SeaWolves are getting ready for their second straight post-season run, Ty Madden is ready.

If there’s one constant among Detroit Tigers affiliates this season, it’s been the Erie SeaWolves’ rotation. Ty Madden and Brant Hurter have each made more than 20 starts for the SeaWolves. Had it not been for a hamstring injury in August, Wilmer Flores would have reached the same milestone.

For developmental purposes, the rotation’s consistency has been crucial. Sawyer Gipson-Long, who spent a significant portion of the season in Erie, focused on honing his command under the guidance of the development staff.  As a result, Gipson-Long saw a rise in his strikeout numbers this season, which has translated into early Major League success over two starts. The goal of minor-league play at each level is continual improvement, and that certainly appears to be the case for Madden.

Data diving on Ty Madden

Over his last month of starts and his recent appearance out of the bullpen, Madden’s strikeout numbers have been picking up. His K per 9 has risen from 10.92 over his previous six starts to 12.16.

So what has been some of the tweaks that are appearing in Madden’s starts? Let’s take a quick look.

Ty Madden back in early May in which he had his hands over his head as he goes to pitch to his Sept 14th appearance out of the pen. Much more consistent with this motion, and his arm appears at a higher slot.

Appears some minor tweaks has helped over the last month. pic.twitter.com/PXGUs0TNCV

— Rogelio Castillo (@rogcastbaseball) September 17, 2023

In a side-by-side video comparison, the footage on the left dates back to May, while the video on the right captures Ty Madden’s most recent appearance against Richmond on Thursday. In that outing, Madden pitched three hitless innings and struck out six batters. A noticeable change is apparent in his arm slot, which is slightly higher in the recent footage. Throughout the entire game, viewable here, he raises his arms over his head during his windup, resulting in a higher arm slot than in previous starts. This adjustment seems to help him maintain his velocity, which ranged between 96 and 98 mph.

Erie SeaWolves manager Gabe Alvarez confirmed that the team’s pitching development staff has been working with Madden to achieve a consistent arm slot across all of his pitches. The goal is to improve control and maintain that high velocity. This technique aligns with what the Tigers previously did with Garrett Hill, who also started setting his hands over his head before throwing.

The Tigers pitching development continues to maximize talent in the minor leaguers, and it appears that Madden is the next example of success that may help Detroit in 2024.

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