Chris Archer brings positive perspective to Pirates, promises 'better version of myself'

BRADENTON, Fla. — Chris Archer arrived for the start of spring training sporting a new look after cutting off his signature, shoulder-length dreadlocks. What the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander wants, following a career-worst season, is to rediscover the pitching form that made him a two-time All-Star and staff ace in Tampa Bay.

For Archer, it’s a fresh cut and a clean slate.

Archer received a hero’s welcome in August 2018 after the Pirates acquired him in a bold trade-deadline deal that sent outfielder Austin Meadows and pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Shane Baz to the Rays. After going 3-9 with a 5.19 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 119 ²⁄₃ innings over 23 starts last season, Archer became symbolic of the team’s struggles.

Now, he wants to prove to Pirates fans he can still be a top-of-rotation starter, especially with Jameson Taillon out for the season after a second Tommy John surgery last summer.

“I can tell you this: They didn’t see it last year,” Archer said Monday, when pitchers and catchers reported to Pirate City. “I wouldn’t have uprooted myself and found a new trainer and worked on a bunch of the pitching things I worked on if that wasn’t what I expected out of myself.

“I don’t want to say a whole lot. I just want to go out there and show people. But I feel like I’m in a really good spot. I know myself and I know that there’s more room to grow. I’m going to tinker with that in spring, but it’s going to be a much better version of myself than there was last year.”

Archer saw signs of success late last summer, when he had four quality starts in a seven-game stretch before being shut down for the final five weeks with right shoulder inflammation. In his first healthy offseason with the Pirates, Archer concentrated on building strength from his base. He started by working on the groin and hip injuries that had been nagging him, then focused on his mechanics and pitches.

The slider, in particular, is his favorite. Archer held opponents to a .233 batting percentage and a .379 slugging percentage with what he calls “one of the better pitches in the league.”

“I went to just being myself,” Archer said. “I went back to the windup. I went back to predominantly forcing fastballs and sliders. My changeup’s come a long ways, too. I’m just getting back to myself and pitching like me. The new staff has been great about encouraging that.”

Archer has a history with new Pirates manager Derek Shelton, who was hitting coach in Tampa Bay from 2010-16, and is embracing the philosophy of new pitching coach Oscar Marin. Archer called Shelton’s hiring a “huge comfort” and said it signaled the Pirates were headed in the right direction.

What’s more, Archer didn’t just come to camp with a new haircut but a fresh perspective on the Pirates. With Starling Marte traded to Arizona, Archer is the highest-paid player ($9 million in 2020) on a team with a payroll around $50 million at the moment, but he’s not buying into the doom-and-gloom predictions.

“I think everybody here understands where we’re at,” Archer said. “There’s advantages and there’s some disadvantages. But baseball’s a special game where if you execute at a high level like we all know we’re capable of, anything can happen. Teams with low payrolls make playoff pushes.”

Archer knows firsthand. The 2013 Rays had an Opening Day payroll of $51.9 million, only to win 92 games for a second-place finish in the AL East and win a wild-card game to reach the divisional playoffs.

“We had the lowest attendance in the league and the lowest payroll of the teams that made the playoffs,” Archer said, “so I know it’s possible.”

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