Rockies reliever Adam Ottavino was religious in his ritual during the offseason and into spring training.
The 32-year-old right-hander would head to an indoor batting cage, and using either a piece of tape or the batter’s box line, he’d go through “dry” delivery drills, simulating a pitch, in an attempt to correct a stride that went askew and led to an errant 2017 when he posted a career high walk total.
“It was obvious to me from Opening Day last year that my stride was messed up — my balance was off, my landing foot was off, my head was moving, I couldn’t clearly focus on the target,” Ottavino said.