Coach rebuts Keith Law’s criticism of freshman’s high pitch count

On March 14, ESPN.com Major League Baseball analyst Keith Law took to Twitter to talk about a team that he rarely – if ever – speaks about: UCLA baseball.

“UCLA freshman (right-handed pitcher) Griffin Canning, a potential high pick in 2017, has now thrown 178 pitches over seven calendar days. He’s just 18 (years) old,” Law said via his Twitter handle @keithlaw.

The tweet gained some traction in the social media world, as it was retweeted nearly 60 times. It eventually reached UCLA coach John Savage.

“I saw that with Keith Law,” Savage said, pausing a moment afterward. “And, you know, I got a chuckle out of it – because he knows nothing about our team or our players.”

It’s easy to look at a player’s pitch count over a given period and say he’s being overworked, but it’s difficult to disagree with Savage, who has been one of the best at developing college pitching prospects over the past decade. The UCLA coach has established a de facto MLB pitching factory in Westwood over the past 11 years – one that has produced several high picks without overworking them on the assembly line.

“We haven’t had one Tommy John (surgery) since we’ve been here – you know, 11 years,” Savage said. “So somebody talking about our pitch count – with no prior information – I don’t take much worth into it.”

Around the time of Law’s comments, Savage was still trying to find a role for Canning, which was part of the reason why his pitch count was so high for that week. Savage had Canning penned as the Tuesday starter every week while also using him as a reliever in weekend series.

“Really, it’s a little unfair to him, but we’re gonna need him coming out of the bullpen when league starts,” Savage said on March 10. “He’ll adjust – I mean, he’s as good as there is out there I think as a freshman in the country.”

During the 178-pitch week that Law criticized, Canning had one start – a 92-pitch outing on March 10 – sandwiched in between two relief appearances: one on March 8 and one on March 14.

“Sundays I’m usually throwing a 45-pitch bullpen (session), so I’ve been doing that since the fall. My body’s pretty used to it,” Canning said on March 10.

But early this season, Savage hinted that Canning – a prized recruit who was drafted in the 38th round of the 2014 MLB draft – may not be long for the bullpen. He called Canning’s 178-pitch week an “unusual week for sure,” and suggested Canning would eventually move into a more permanent starting role before too long.

“I mean he’s really a weekend starter, pitching on Tuesday,” Savage said on March 3.

“He’s a starting pitcher is what he is. I just think he has a better routine (as a starter),” Savage said March 10.

Canning’s performance on the field made it difficult for Savage to keep him out of the weekend starting rotation, which is usually reserved for a college team’s three best starting pitchers. As of March 15, Canning had started four Tuesday games, posting a 1.61 ERA. Canning also held a 4.91 ERA over the course of his three relief appearances.

So, prior to the Utah series on March 20, Savage promoted Canning to the Sunday starter role. He hasn’t used him as a reliever since, as Canning has flourished in his new role.

In his first Sunday start against the Utes on March 22, Canning delivered a quality-start win, going 5.1 innings and allowing two earned runs. This past Sunday at Washington State, Canning weathered a first-inning storm – one that included two UCLA errors and three unearned runs – and ended up pitching six innings without giving up an earned run, leading UCLA to the win.

In both of Canning’s Sunday starts, his pitch count has been below 85.

“We know how good he is – or how good he’s going to be – so we know we have to be careful and conscious of (his pitch count),” Savage said on March 15.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff. Contributing reports by Jason Drantch, Bruin Sports reporter.