Armed with a rubber arm and an eight-pitch repertoire, Josh Banks has been one of the pleasant surprises of the Padres' season.
Q: Let's start with the basics: List your eight pitches.
A: “Two-seam and four-seam fastballs, curve, slider, split-finger fastball, cutter, a change-up that is different to left-handers and right-handers, and a hard knuckleball that I throw like a fastball, although I can throw a regular knuckleball.”
Q: When I list all that, I come up with 10 pitches.
A: “The change-up is a variation. And I don't use the slower knuckleball. The hard knuckleball I used to throw as my splitter.”
Q: How did you learn so many pitches?
A: “All the pitches were originally self-taught. I'd just experiment with stuff. Like the change-up, I learned to change it depending on what side the hitter was working.”
Q: Which pitches take the most time to get ready?
A: “The change-up and cutter. The cutter took the longest to learn. The change-up took the longest to get the feel down. In bullpen sessions between starts, I'll work on the fastball, change and cutter because I need to develop a feel. I never throw the split-finger unless it is in a game.”
Q: Most pitchers have trouble with their second or third pitch. What led you to try to develop eight?
A: “I've always wanted to keep hitters off-balance when I pitched. Listening to some coaches and older pitchers, I thought it was a good idea to have an extra pitch and keep the hitters thinking. Last season in the International League, I faced one team (Rochester) seven times. The assortment helped.”
Q: Bud Black recently said it was almost impossible for a pitcher to gain command of more than two or three pitches because of the finite amount of pitches you have in any arm. Then he said you were an exception.
A: “I have always thrown a lot. Even the day after I pitch, I'll play long-toss. When I was 12 or 13, I threw all three seven-inning games of a tripleheader for a 14-and-under traveling team. At the end of my high school career in Maryland, I threw 24 innings in one week, including nine on Friday and the last seven on Sunday when we lost 2-1 in 14 innings.”
Q: Have you met with resistance from coaches and managers about using so many pitches?
A: “I've had coaches tell me I'd never pitch in the majors doing this. 'Cut down,' I was told. But Bud and (pitching coach) Darren Balsley have been great about me using a lot of pitches. When I first came up, Bals asked me about the variety of pitches I threw. He didn't try to limit me.”
Q: What do you think is the biggest advantage to having your repertoire?
A: “The more things the hitter has to think about, the better. There have been times where I've gotten a 'what was that?' look from a hitter. I struck out Matt Murton on a knuckleball last season at Iowa and got that look.”
Q: How long does it take you to know when something is not going to work on any given night?
A: “When I first got here, my cutter wasn't working. That's probably the pitch that varies the most. Some days I'll barely use it. The splitter is the one pitch that is usually there without me having to work on it. The hitters don't like it.”
Q: Is there a pitch you like to throw more than others for any reason?
A: “The infielders and coaches like the knuckleball.”
