Albert Almora Jr.: Hype man?
Who knew the 24-year-old outfielder could out-do Joe Maddon when it comes to promotion?
Maddon said new reliever Luke Farrell — who got his first big-league win Monday night — has "as good of makeup as anybody on the Cubs. Anybody."
But Almora went even further — nicknaming one of Farrell's pitches.
No, it's not called "The Terminator."
It's the "Invisi-ball."
"I always told him, facing him last year in Cincinnati, that was a nightmare 'cause he has an Invisi-ball," Almora said. "It looks like it's gonna be right at your barrel and then you look at your bat thinking there's a hole in the middle just 'cause you never hit it."
MLB
When asked about it, Farrell laughed, but admitted it's actually not the first time somebody's nicknamed his splitter the "Invisi-ball."
With Maddon unwilling to go to Brandon Morrow or Carl Edwards Jr. Monday night against the Rockies because they had pitched too much recently, the Cubs needed to bridge the gap to closer-for-the-day Steve Cishek,
Maddon called on Farrell to come in with two runners on in a tie ballgame in the Top of the 6th. He promptly induced an Ian Desmond groundout to end the inning.
In the seventh, Farrell came back out to protect the Cubs' new, one-run lead against the heart of the Rockies order. He mowed down Charlie Blackmon (strikeout), Nolan Arenado (lineout) and Trevor Story (strikeout) and walked off the mound about 30 minutes before picking up the first MLB win of his career.
It was just the third appearance for Farrell in a Cubs uniform, but given the other two went very well — 5 strikeouts in 2 innings with only an unearned run allowed — the situation seemed awfully high leverage for a 26-year-old journeyman.
But Maddon's been wanting to see how Farrell handled a high-leverage spot for a while.
"It's kinda fun," Maddon smirked after Monday's 3-2 win. "Take it for a test drive. That could really pay us dividends down the road. That was 93, 94 [mph] with carry and then you got [the splitter] he throws off it with the slider and he's not afraid? Those are great qualities."
Farrell is a household name in the baseball world. Luke's dad, John, has spent most of the last decade as the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays (2011-12) and Boston Red Sox (2013-17) while Luke's brothers -—Jeremy and Shane — currently work in the Cubs organization as a hitting coach and scout, respectively.
When Luke Farrell faced the Cubs as a member of the Reds in 2017, Maddon didn't know who he was at first. But the Cubs skipper got to know real quick, just like Almora.
And now Farrell just might be carving out a long-term role for himself as the final spot in the Cubs bullpen.
"I like him because he's tall and he throws the ball downhill," Maddon said. "You don't see that often anymore. I think it's a really good method."
Maddon also pointed to Farrell's "stuff" and how the 6-foot-6 righty throws a few mph harder out of the 'pen compared to as a starter.
And then there's the makeup, which Maddon lauded again before Tuesday's game and credited Farrell's upbringing in a baseball household as a contributing factor.
"Honestly, when you get to know him, there's nothing not to like," Maddon said. "Of course, there's talent. I just think he has the inner workings of being a successful major-league player beyond talent."
Farrell is only up in the Cubs bullpen because Eddie Butler landed on the disabled list with a groin injury — a fact Farrell is well aware of.
"Honestly, it's just trying to go day-by-day," he said. "I know I came up here after an injury. It's just trying to take every opportunity and do the best that I can and continue to go scoreless innings and keep us in ballgames — whether it's a big lead, behind a lot or it's a one-run ballgame. Whatever the role, just do anything you can."
Farrell — who attended Northwestern — turns 27 in just over a month (June 7) and has a career 4.41 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in the minor leagues. He had allowed 7 runs on 16 baserunners in 10.2 innings in two starts at Triple-A Iowa before getting the call to Chicago.
The numbers don't point to this guy as a pitcher who could make an impact out of the Cubs bullpen over a long stretch of games. But dynamic relievers pop up all over the place in today's MLB and the Cubs clearly love the guy.
Farrell attributes his arrival to visualization and unlocking his physical tools with hours of mental preparation.
"I'm a big believer in [the mental side of the game]," he said, crediting the likes of John Baker and Dr. Ken Ravizza within the Cubs organization. "Some guys might not want to talk about working on that aspect of the game.
"For some, it's innate and I certainly have some of that, where it's just competitive fire or spirit or whatever you want to call it. At the same time, it's putting yourself in situations mentally before you actually step out on the mound.
"I really try and put myself in that situation in my mind. You're there, you're pitching at Wrigley, you might visualize the specific hitter you're facing, whatever it is and you kinda go through these exercises so you really try to mimic living it before it actually happens. As weird as that sounds, it's been a help to me."