PHOENIX -- Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino paid particular attention to mental skills -- with visualization a key component -- and it could be paying off, with six strikeouts in only seven batters faced in his first two regular-season appearances.
Possessing a slider he can use a myriad of ways to right- and left-handed batters, Ottavino struck out 11 batters per nine innings 2015-17, and was just as effective after returning from a 2015 Tommy John surgery as before. However, in 63 games last year he walked a career-high 6.6 batters per nine innings, and by the end of the season he no longer pitched in high-leverage situations.