DENVER -- Rockies right-hander Adam Ottavino believes being a little more convincing to umpires could be one of the keys to an improved 2018.
Ottavino earned a reputation as one of the game's toughest righty relievers by fashioning a club-record run of 37 scoreless appearances from Sept. 7, 2014, to Aug 23, 2016, with a lengthy absence due to Tommy John surgery. But after posting a solid 2.67 ERA in 34 appearances in 2016, Ottavino saw his ERA rise to 5.06 and his walk rate inflate to a career-high 6.6 per nine innings last year.
An advanced metric suggests Ottavino wasn't quite as bad as the results. Among pitchers with at least 300 pitches thrown at the strike-ball borderline in 2017, no reliever had a higher rate of those that were called balls than Ottavino -- 40.55 percent, according to Statcast™. Second in the category was the Yankees' Dellin Betances at 37.65 percent. Before last season, Ottavino's highest rate of lost borderline strikes was 30.55 percent in 2012 -- his first year with the Rockies after being claimed off waivers from the Cardinals.
Ottavino, 32, didn't put the onus solely on umpires. He made appearances Thursday on Hot Stove and MLB Now on MLB Network, detailing how his crossfire delivery was exaggerated to the point that he didn't command pitches as well, and he could stand to be more aggressive earlier in counts. Asked by MLB.com about the aggression early in counts, Ottavino said it could help him earn strikes when he needs them.
"If I throw more over the plate rather than on the corners early, then that should translate into more called strikes," Ottavino said. "I have to be a little less perfect early in the count, and trust that I am tough to hit."

A rebound by Ottavino would boost a bullpen the Rockies -- who made the postseason in 2017 for the first time since '09 -- have been fortifying this offseason. They signed closer Wade Davis for three years and $52 million guaranteed, and lefty Jake McGee and righty Bryan Shaw to three-year, $27 million contracts. Lefty Mike Dunn, who led the team with 68 appearances last year, will earn $7 million in 2018 in the second season of a three-year, $19 million deal, and Ottavino is due $7 million to complete a three-year, $10.4 million pact.
The graphic below suggests Ottavino was especially hurt by not receiving borderline pitches in even counts, counts with three balls and counts with two strikes -- pitches that can turn any plate appearance:

"We've looked at the same stuff or similar stuff," Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich said. "The action sometimes on his breaking balls -- he's got a couple different ones -- but especially that sweeping slider, he did not last year get that pitch called in the zone like it could've been and should've been. Now, in terms of his struggles, there was more to it than that. [But] there were times where he made pitches and sometimes he made pitches in succession that in our minds were strikes that didn't get called."
Still, the Rockies like that Ottavino is putting the onus on himself. Although he lost many possible strikes, he didn't exactly live on the borders of the zone. Just 37.5 percent of his pitches were in borderline areas, meaning others were clearly in or out of the zone. Pitching coach Steve Foster acknowledged the command issues, calling 2017 "a very challenging year," but he didn't point the finger totally at the pitcher.
"Some of that is due to his deception and how his ball moves late -- it's been a part of who 'Otto' is," Foster said. "That's what made him so successful -- getting ahead, swing and miss. Nasty stuff."
Ottavino also spent May 30-June 9 on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, and by the end of the season pitched in less-crucial roles after the club acquired righty Pat Neshek (now with the Phillies). But Ottavino kept pushing for improvement, which the Rockies hope will show this year.
"He wants it for the team," Rockies bullpen coach Darren Holmes said. "He's very selfless. Even when we got other guys last year, he looked at me and 'Fostie' and said, 'I'll pitch anywhere you want me to. I just want to win.' That's the type of guy that you want. That's the type of guy you need."