Enright confident in restored delivery

TEMPE, Ariz. -- It finally hit home while signing autographs.

One day last season, a fan gave Barry Enright a photo from late in his D-backs days, and immediately the 26-year-old right-hander saw it -- his arm, clearly staying inside the baseball as opposed to behind it, which over the years has diminished his deception and fluctuated his velocity.

"Being with the Diamondbacks, Brandon Webb and some of the guys that modeled off of sinkerballers, I kind of started feeding into that a little bit," Enright said. "My arm angle got a little wide and I was kind of turning the ball behind my head a little bit, even trying to make it sink. The ball was moving a lot, but it was moving early. And a lot of guys, whether it's a changeup or a sinker, either see it out of the zone or see it the entire way."

So Enright struggled to regain his success of 2010, when he posted a 3.91 ERA in 17 starts down the stretch with Arizona. In 2011, he posted a 6.49 ERA in his first six starts in the Majors, then spent almost the entire rest of the season in Triple-A Reno, finishing there with a 5.21 ERA. Then, last year, Enright had a 5.87 ERA in 21 starts before the Angels picked him up for a player to be named (Frazier Hall) on July 24.

Ever since then, the red-headed Pepperdine University product has slowly found himself again.

Enright went 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA in eight starts for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, earning a September callup, and worked with pitching coach Mike Butcher in Arizona during the offseason to regain his old delivery.

It's early, and he isn't expected to be more than a Triple-A starter this year -- at least initially -- but Enright has been one of the most impressive Angels pitchers in camp so far. By staying behind the ball and using his lower half, Enright's changeup should be more effective and his fastball velocity, which can reach the mid-90s, is expected to remain consistent.

"And then confidence, knowing that you're repeating your delivery and you feel good about it," Butcher noted. "I know it's just bullpen sessions, but delivery-wise, he's where he needs to be."

"I think I got more in the mentality of you get yourself out instead of me get you out, and I lost a lot of deception coming at you," said Enright, who will make his spring debut while starting Sunday's home game against the A's. "Right now, it's looked good, it's felt really good. Obviously the next step is facing hitters and getting used to that. I'm looking forward to it on Sunday. Hopefully everything keeps progressing."