Diamondbacks' power-armed reliever filling up the zone, pushing for job

Nineteen pitchers have thrown at least 100 pitches at Diamondbacks camp this spring.

Only five have thrown a higher percentage of strikes than right-hander Juan Morillo.

It is a rudimentary accounting of his Cactus League performance, but, in a sense, not much else matters for the Diamondbacks’ flame-throwing reliever.

“I’ve got really good stuff,” Morillo said.

“When I’m in the zone, I’ve got a good chance to get quick outs.”
It was, Morillo said, the biggest thing he took away from his first taste of the majors last season.

He went into the offseason — and has come into spring training — with a focus on doing everything possible to throw more strikes.

He worked on his command and mechanics in the offseason.

He changed his diet.

He even changed his sleep habits.

He has come into camp at roughly the same weight — about 220 pounds — but feeling stronger and more energetic, and he says he is moving better on the mound.

His results in the Cactus League have put him into the conversation for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

He has yet to give up a run in seven appearances, logging 7 1/3 innings with four hits, two walks and eight strikeouts.

“He’s just maturing and he’s gaining confidence,” Diamondbacks pitching coach Brian Kaplan said.

“He’s a little more comfortable in his own skin.

He worked a lot this offseason to get his body in better shape to be ready for the season.

He focused on nutrition and strength and is taking that to the next level with his throwing program.

"Last year, there were times he tried to go to that extra gear and kind of got out of control with his body and movements a little bit.

He’s learning how to manage intensity and stay under control.

He looks really good.”
Morillo, 27, last year averaged 99 mph with his fastball, routinely touching triple digits.

His breaking ball and change-up often resided in the low-90s.

It is the sort of nitro stuff rarely seen from Diamondbacks pitchers.

Morillo signed with the organization the previous offseason as a minor league free agent, coming to Arizona after nine years with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He showed flashes of dominance last season, outings in which he appeared almost untouchable.

But he also had games in which his control deserted him, and after a couple of them, he found himself back in Triple-A Reno the next day.

He finished the season with a 4.19 ERA in 42 games in the majors.

“I learned that you have to be in the zone all the time,” Morillo said.

“For me, it was a challenge before.

Right now, I just want to throw the ball in the zone.

I want to throw a lot of strikes.

To me, right now, I feel really good throwing the ball.

I’m doing a great job with that, and that’s the key for me right now.”
Morillo has thrown strikes with 65.2 percent of his pitches this spring.

That is up from 61.6 percent last season and is above last year’s major-league average of 64 percent.

Morillo finds himself in the hunt, along with a handful of others, for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen.

Entering Friday night, March 20, Morillo seemed to be in competition with right-handers Andrew Hoffman and Joe Ross and lefties Brandyn Garcia and Philip Abner.

Those five were vying for three spots — and that’s not counting the possibility of the club adding a pitcher, perhaps a lefty, via trade prior to the Thursday, March 26, opener at Dodger Stadium.

(This story will be updated.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks' Juan Morillo making strong case for bullpen spot