CINCINNATI – When the Diamondbacks drafted right-hander Braden Shipley three years ago, they viewed him as a hard-throwing power pitcher whose athleticism might allow him to add even more in the way of pure stuff.
But when Shipley makes his major-league debut Monday night in Milwaukee, his fastball probably won’t sit in the mid-90s. He might not strike out a ton of hitters. But the Diamondbacks believe he’s a better pitcher than he was before, one who better understands how to ply his craft at the big-league level.
“I think probably from the second half of last year on, he really started to understand what type of pitcher he is,” Diamondbacks minor league pitching coordinator Dan Carlson said.