Naturals: Triggs Knows How To Finish

STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Andrew Triggs, Naturals reliever, talks Aug. 5 with pitching coach Jim Brower before their game against Corpus Christi at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.

STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Andrew Triggs, Naturals reliever, talks Aug. 5 with pitching coach Jim Brower before their game against Corpus Christi at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

SPRINGDALE -- Andrew Triggs may not profile as the ideal big-league closer since he doesn't possess a mid-90s fastball, but he's sure doing the job for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals this season.

The 6-foot-4 right-hander leads the Texas League with 19 saves and also has a 4-3 record with a stellar 2.73 ERA in 41 appearances.

Profile

Andrew Triggs

Team: Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Position: Relief pitcher

Height: 6-4

Weight: 210 pounds

Notable: Leads the Texas League with 19 saves. … Also is 4-3 with a 2.73 ERA in 41 appearances. … Selected as a Texas League North Division All-Star team. … Selected in the 19th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in 2012. … Played baseball at Southern California University and earned a degree in political science. … Promoted to Northwest Arkansas late last season and did not allow a run in four appearances.

"Consistency is the word that comes to mind when you talk about Triggs," Northwest Arkansas manager Vance Wilson said. "More than anything, he throws strikes. He's got a funky arm slot, and his slider is different. It's a sweeper. It's not a dirt-ball slider, and it's not got a ton of tilt. With that being said, it can be very valuable."

"He can go 89-93 with his fastball, and when you execute, that's plenty for the Major Leagues."

Wilson, who was a catcher for eight seasons in the Major Leagues, admitted the big fastball is something that's prevalent among bullpen arms in the Majors today, but Triggs has been efficient for the most part.

"He's had very quick-pitch innings, which is something you want from your closer," Triggs said. "I think Triggs needs to have something like that on his resume because he's not a flame thrower. When you're not that guy, you had better be a specialized guy that can do some things.

"You have to be able to execute and get outs, and he's done that."

Triggs doesn't get too caught up in the closer role. He's just looking to get people out.

"Obviously the last three outs are three of the more important outs in the game, but pitching's pitching whether it's the first inning, the fourth inning, the seventh inning or the ninth inning," he said. "I've pitched probably at any point in any game from high school up until now. I try not to put too much currency into who's coming up and what's happening in this situation or that.

"Obviously you do pitch to certain situations, but I just try to treat it like any three outs and you go out there and try and execute your pitches. If you execute, then you're giving yourself a good chance to do well."

Triggs has enjoyed plenty of success this season with the Naturals, but like any closer, he's had his down moments as well. One of those came Aug. 5 as Corpus Christi got to him for three runs in the top of the ninth to rally for a 5-4 win. It was only his fourth blown save of the season.

But no pitcher can linger on past failures, especially a closer, Triggs said.

"You've got to flush it," Triggs said. "It's baseball. I made bad pitches, and bad things happened. I wasn't as sharp as I needed to be. I made bad pitches, and they got hit hard. That's what they are supposed to do. We are all professionals here."

He's also working on a split-finger pitch to add to his arsenal, but his slider is his out pitch.

"It's something I've worked on, and I've taken it into games a few times," Triggs said. "That's just sort of dressing though. The main course needs to be the fastball and the breaking ball."

But Triggs' slider is a little unusual in that it doesn't have the normal hard downward tilt, but more of a side-to-side movement. He throws it from a lower three-quarters arm slot, which deceives the hitters a bit.

"I hold it like a curveball, so it's going to have a bigger slower break than a normal slider," Triggs said. "I've fiddled with what guys call a true slider, something that's harder and a little tighter. That was never something I could get consistency with in college. This is actually my high school breaking ball that I went back to my junior year of college. I've had it ever since."

No matter what you call the pitch, just call Triggs successful. He's hopeful of soon being called a Major Leaguer.

Sports on 08/12/2014