The Chicago Cubs should prioritize starting pitching in June’s draft, and Bryce Jarvis is a perfect option. Let’s get to know him a bit more.
As we approach June’s draft, the Chicago Cubs are likely to prioritize pitching as they will lose 60 percent of their rotation after this season. How does taking a guy who got progressively better each year in college and one who’s learned from the prestigious Driveline Academy in Seattle?
That’s exactly what the Cubs would be getting in Duke Blue Devils’ starting pitcher, Bryce Jarvis. As a true freshman, he made 25 appearances – including five starts – and struck out 67 batters in 47.2 innings while allowing a .142 average.
In his sophomore year, he made 19 appearances – including 11 starts – and struck out a team-high 94 batters while allowing just a .239 average in 75.2 innings of work. As noted, he spent some time at the Driveline Academy between his sophomore and junior seasons.
The work paid dividends as he posted a 0.67 ERA in four starts, including the first perfect game in school history. I recently had the chance to chat with him:
Q: Hailing from Franklin, Tennessee, what made you choose to continue your collegiate baseball career at Duke? And how important was it to you for Coach Pollard to have faith in you to make five starts as a freshman?
A: The unmatched combination of academics and athletics is a big part of why I chose Duke. There was also a buzz around the baseball program specifically. Although they had not had the proven track record of many of the schools that I was being recruited by, it was clear that they were about to take a huge leap forward into the top ranks of college baseball, and that was something that I really wanted to be a part of.
I also wanted to go to a school that would allow me to have an impact as soon as I stepped on campus. Having the role that I did freshman year was cool because I got to be a part of the biggest moments we had as a team that year and not many freshmen can say that.
Q: What would you say was the biggest takeaway from your time at the Driveline Academy and how did it help you achieve such great command of your pitches?
A: At Driveline, I was able to work on pitch design with their team and get on their motion capture software. The main focus with them was tweaking my slider to make it a little more east-west instead of north-south so that I could add a true curveball into my arsenal this year. That was definitely the biggest takeaway from Driveline.
The jump in velocity, however, I attribute most to the added weight and functional strength that I put on at CSP (Cressey Sports Performance). I gained about 20 pounds in 7 weeks and felt more sturdy and robust on the mound overall. The added velocity to all of my pitches gave me newfound confidence to attack hitters more, and I think that helped with my command and walking fewer guys.