Diamondbacks' Bryce Jarvis on the Comeback Trail from Elbow Injury

Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Bryce Jarvis may seem like a forgotten man to many. It's easy to forget that through the end of July last year, he was the reliever that manager Torey Lovullo leaned on the most to eat bullpen innings.

Through July 30 Jarvis threw a whopping 59.1 innings and posted a 3.19 ERA. That inning total was far and away the highest among relievers to that point in the season. The next closest was Kevin Ginkel with 47. His 4.0 outs recorded and 23 pitches thrown per outing were the highest on the team. Meanwhile 18 of his 44 outings came with either zero or one day of rest in between.

Both Jarvis and the team paid a price for that usage pattern and workload as he suffered an elbow sprain that ultimately cost hm the rest of the season. The D-backs tried to fill in the best they could with trade deadline acquisition Dylan Floro and some minor league call-ups, but none were able to replicate the steady contributions Jarvis was providing.

Jarvis had a interesting statline. Due to a high walk total (33), his underlying peripheral metrics like FIP and xERA suggested his ERA should have been about two runs higher. But those metrics missed out on some key attributes that Jarvis posseses that allowed him to be successful.

First and foremost he is a battler, and doesn't like to give in to hitters. He made up for the extra walks by leading the team in double play percentage per opportunity at 18% (11 for 62). He was also toughest to hit when it mattered most.

With runners in scoring position batters hit just .239 against him, and with two outs in those situations they hit just .160 (four for 25). He allowed just a .599 OPS against in high leverage situations, compared to a .711 OPS against overall.

I had a chance to catch up with Jarvis briefly prior to Wednesday's game against the San Francisco Giants. He generally sits at his locker quietly right next to Corbin Burnes, who of course draws a lot of attention. But intelligent and articulate, all you have to do is talk to him and he'll tell you in a straightforward way how he's doing and what he's thinking.

How did it feel to get back out on the mound for two games so far?

"Good. It's all about getting your feet wet again, trying to get back in that game pace. Everything is different when the hitter is in there. So even going back to the first live batting practice sessions it's just about getting the shapes or your pitches right. It's a process, but it's gone well so far."

What are some of the biggest adjustments you've had to make in your bullpens and first couple of outings?

"Just the visual of the hitters is the biggest obvious difference, but also trying out some sequences that you want to use in the season and seeing how the pitches are playing off of each other, to a hitter's eye, trying to read those swings and adjust accordingly."

Is there going to be any change in your approach to attack hitters?

"I think a lot of it is building on last year. Trying to attack hitters, cut down on the walks so I don't have to rely on double plays as much. But knowing that I have the ability to get outs in these big situations gives me confidence going into this year, and knowing that there was room to improve on last year. The fact that I still threw as well as I did is encouraging."

Torey Lovullo seemed pretty emotional about seeing you and some of the other pitchers such as Drey Jameson and Kyle Nelson coming off injury and getting back out there. How much encouragement do you get from the coaching staff?

"It's tough when you come here on rehab and you're away from the team. I think the staff does a great job here of keeping us involved and not letting us get too removed from the situation. It's exciting to come back and be in that game atmosphere. That's what we all do it for. I'm excited for the season and getting the opportunity to do it more."

Jarvis is well aware how deep the pitching staff is at this point, and the type of competition he's in for an opening day roster spot. The team signed veteran right-hander Kendall Graveman and have brought in veterans on minor league contracts such as Shelby Miller and John Curtiss. And with a full rotation, right-hander Ryne Nelson might end up in the bullpen to start the season.

But Jarvis isn't getting bogged down in thinking about any of that. It's all about getting ready for the season and preparing to improve on what he did last year. The rest will take care of itself, and he'll surely get his opportunity to perform for the team at some point over the course of a 162-game season.

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