Flaherty (0-1), who racked up eight strikeouts and allowed an earned run on three hits and two walks over five innings in a 1-0 Grapefruit League loss to the Orioles on Thursday, has successfully developed and deployed a two-seam fastball this spring, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.
One of the organization's top prospects, Flaherty has been working with manager Mike Matheny and pitching coach Mike Maddux throughout spring on perfecting the pitch. Both have monitored the right-hander's bullpen and live batting practice sessions, encouraging him to experiment with both the grip and how he sequences the pitch. The results have been impressive, as Flaherty has now racked up 20 strikeouts over 13 exhibition frames following Thursday's dominant outing. Although he's slated to begin the season at Triple-A Memphis, the vast difference between the 2017 version of Flaherty and the pitcher that's been mowing down hitters this spring is noticeable to everyone around him. "There isn't a finish line there for Jack," catcher Carson Kelly, who also caught Flaherty for most of his starts at Triple-A last season, said. "He keeps going. I've seen a difference between this year and last year. He seems more poised."