Norris: ‘I want to be the guy that they trust’

CLEVELAND — The Tigers were well on their way to a 13-5 loss at Progressive Field on Monday when Daniel Norris took the mound for the seventh inning. The lefty gave up Cleveland’s final run on three singles around two strikeouts, but his underlying numbers were a source of encouragement in a season that has been short on those.

Norris averaged 94.6 mph on his fastball, two mph over his season average. He threw his four hardest fastballs in four years according to Statcast, topping out with a 96.1 mph heater that was his hardest since 2016.

Norris isn’t chasing velocity like he used to. And in fairness, his exit velocity was also up. Still, for someone whose 2021 average velocity ranks in the bottom third among Major League pitchers according to Statcast, it’s a stepping stone as he tries to rebound near the midway point of a contract year.

“Last night was the best I’ve felt in five years,” Norris said Tuesday afternoon. “I feel really good. So yeah, those are the positives that I can take out of it, is that I feel good. I feel better than I ever have, really.”

Norris believes it’s a combination of being a few years removed from injuries that stalled his career for parts of three years — not including the bout of COVID-19 that cost him Summer Camp last season — as well as his workout program from last offseason and into this year.

“I’ve always prided myself on being in good shape and wanting to work hard,” Norris said. “But in the offseason, I wanted to gain weight, so I gained 5-10 pounds; it fluctuates. That has paid off in a sense of velocity and everything, but sometimes the results just don’t match up very well.”

That’s the next step for Norris. Those results are a reason manager A.J. Hinch, who talked in Spring Training about using the 28-year-old lefty as a weapon out of Detroit’s bullpen, has had a limited role for him thus far.

Norris hasn’t pitched in a close game since giving up four earned runs on three hits and two walks in the 11th inning of a 9-6 loss to the Mariners at Comerica Park on June 9. He hasn’t been entrusted with a close lead since May 31, when he gave up two sixth-inning runs in a bullpen game at Milwaukee.

“It’s been hard not to be the guy they want me to be,” Norris said. “I want to be the guy that they trust. I just haven’t been.”

Norris has given up 11 earned runs on 17 hits over 10 1/3 innings beginning with that game, allowing a .370 average and 1.029 OPS. His .484 average on balls in play is partly bad luck, but his average 96.4 mph exit velocity in June is his highest for any month in his career.

“Velocity for me is sort of a number on the board. It’s still about execution to me,” Hinch said. “I don’t care how hard you throw if you locate. … Velo is one thing. Velo with execution is another.”

For the season, Norris has allowed a 54.3 percent hard-hit rate, among the highest ratios in the Majors. It’s not a matter of spin rate, which is slightly down for him this year but has remained relatively consistent.

That said, eight of his 21 earned runs and 11 of his 35 hits have come in three disastrous outings out of 28 appearances this year.

“It’s been frustrating,” Norris said. “I want to go out there and be successful, and you want to have a low ERA. But the reality is, it happens. So yeah, I’m frustrated for that night, but when I take the positive, it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m healthy and feeling good. I’m throwing hard again. My stuff is the best it’s ever been.”

Compounding the matter is that Norris is eligible for free agency at season’s end. It’s not something he dwells on, but he acknowledges the awareness that comes with his contract season.

“I went into the season like this could be my last year with the Tigers,” Norris said. “It’s weird. It’s a testament to get to free agency. I don’t put pressure on myself as far as wanting a contract or anything like that. I take it year by year. I’m really focused on what I do and how I prepare. Yeah, I want to be successful. I want to put myself in a good position.

“What was weird [was], in Spring Training, I didn’t really think about it at all. And then once the season starts, the familiar faces you see, it’s like, ‘You might not see them the next year.’”