‘Closer than he thinks’: Mattison’s spin pushing him toward MLB

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tyler Mattison still remembers the first time he learned about spin rate on his fastball. Former Red Sox pitching coach Dana LeVangie’s son Liam was Mattison's teammate at Bryant University, and Mattison’s pitching made an impression.

“He was saying, 'Hey, you spin your fastball pretty well,'” Mattison said. “And I was like, 'What does that mean? I have no idea.'"

That wasn’t something being tracked at Bryant, a small Division I program in Smithfield, R.I. It certainly wasn’t something being tracked by Mattison, who picked it up practically by accident. Little could he have imagined it would be the quirk that would put him on the doorstep of the big leagues.

In a Tigers farm system that has found some unique bullpen arms over the years, Mattison stands out. His fastball sits at 94-96 mph on average but can ramp up to 98, as it did for him on Wednesday during the Tigers' 4-4 tie with the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo. The fastball plays up on hitters because of the spin -- 2,655 rpm on average during his late-season stint last year at Triple-A Toledo, according to Statcast. Just six Triple-A pitchers with at least 400 tracked pitches had a higher average fastball spin rate. Mattison has been around the same range this spring.

By contrast, among Major Leaguers with at least 100 pitches thrown last season, only D-backs righty Corbin Burnes (2,704 rpm) and Zak Kent (2,683), then with the Guardians, had a higher average fastball spin.

It started with Mattison playing catch with his dad during the pandemic-shortened 2020 college season.

“I was long-tossing a lot over COVID, and unknowingly, I was just trying to work on backspinning the ball. Throw through his head, so to speak,” Mattison said. “It was just one of those things. I got better and better with it, and I could see the ball flight more. Not knowing about metrics or spin, just being like, 'If I carry this ball more, I can get behind it, maybe I can throw it harder and command it more.' I just felt more and more comfortable, and it ended up working out.”

It couldn’t have worked out better if Mattison had tried on purpose.

After some good but not great seasons with Bryant, Mattison returned to school for the 2021 season and set career bests in ERA (2.46) and WHIP (0.884). His 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings were a full strikeout better than his previous best. The Tigers noted the spin, drafted him in the fourth round in 2021 and made him a reliever.

“In college, we didn't have numbers [on it] or anything like that,” Mattison said, “so when I got to pro ball, it was the first time I kinda learned about metrics and where stuff plays. They do a great job here since I got drafted in of having guys understand where their stuff plays [and] zones to throw it in. I've always carried the ball pretty well, and the four-seam spins really well, so I just try to use that to my advantage.”

Mattison’s health has been his biggest disadvantage. He missed half of his first pro season in 2022 due to a right shoulder injury, struck out 91 batters over just 59 2/3 innings between Double-A Erie and High-A West Michigan in '23, then missed the entire '24 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He returned last May and had the typical inconsistencies pitchers experience during their first season post-surgery. He fanned 44 batters over 39 innings but also walked 30, including 16 over 19 innings with Toledo.

“Strikes are really the key with him,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “The focus is being in the zone early to get the chase late. He just needs to get synced up in his delivery. …

“Part of his appeal is the deception that his delivery brings. Once he can sync up his delivery to do it every time, then the next step would be execution in various areas of the zone. But it doesn't look comfortable to hit against him.”

Mattison feels closer to normal now in his second season back. The fact that he’s still in camp as a non-roster invitee, having been dropped from the 40-man roster and re-signed on Dec. 18, shows the Tigers want to see more from him. He has five strikeouts over two scoreless innings in Grapefruit League play, though he allowed two inherited runners to score Wednesday.

“There's room for varying styles of relievers if he can get those strikes,” Hinch said. “He's closer than he thinks.”