Barnes: McDonald’s new approach helps him find success in Pirates’ rotation

Most Major League Baseball fans recognize the two household names on this season’s Pittsburgh… Most Major League Baseball fans recognize the two household names on this season’s Pittsburgh Pirates roster — Andrew McCutchen and A.J. Burnett.

But in 2012, another player is making his name just as well-known throughout the league: James McDonald.

McDonald’s acquisition has undoubtedly proven to be the best trade made by general manager Neal Huntington so far. In July 2010, Huntington shipped veteran relief pitcher Octavio Dotel to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for McDonald and another minor leaguer. At the time of the trade, the Dodgers had relegated McDonald to bullpen duty as he carried an unimpressive 8.22 earned run average.

But in his three months with the Pirates at the end of the 2010 campaign, McDonald showed flashes of his potential as a starting pitcher. He recorded a 2-2 record and a much-improved 2.31 ERA, with his seven shutout innings against the eventual winners of the National League Wild Card, the Atlanta Braves, being his highlight performance.

Unfortunately, as the Pirates were finishing a miserable 57-105 season, few were paying attention to see the potential in McDonald.

In 2011, McDonald continued to improve, as he bounced back from a rough month in April to post four straight months with an ERA of 3.93 or lower, winning seven of 10 decisions in that span. McDonald, alongside fellow starters Charlie Morton, Kevin Correia and Jeff Karstens, was an integral part of the Pirates’ success in the first four months of the season.

Overall, McDonald finished the 2011 season with career highs in nearly every statistical category, posting a 9-9 record, 4.21 ERA, 171 innings pitched, 142 strikeouts, 78 walks and 15 quality starts in 31 games.

In 2012, those following the Pirates have seen an even greater improvement in McDonald, who seems to have taken the leap to becoming one of baseball’s premier pitchers.

“J-Mac”, as many Pirates fans call him, is 6-3 with a minuscule 2.19 ERA — third-best in the majors — and his 0.95 WHIP (walks and hits allowed per innings pitched) confirms just how dominant McDonald has been. With 85 strikeouts and only 24 walks surrendered, he appears to be well on his way to shattering all of his career highs from last season.

The biggest difference with McDonald this season doesn’t lie just within his pitching itself, but rather in his approach to the game.

McDonald recently acknowledged that he used to lose focus on the mound, especially when he got in jams.

“When certain guys got up there, I would think about, ‘What if this happens? What if that happens?’ Now, I really don’t care,” he said. “I just see that there’s a hitter up there, and I’ve got a job to do, which is to get him out. I’m just going after people, so my mental approach to the game is different. It’s more than just the stuff. It’s the mental side of it that’s making me better.”

Another big difference in McDonald’s pitching this season is his ability to adapt to different situations. While all pitchers like to rely on their fastball, McDonald has shown in many pressure situations this season that he is not afraid to throw any one of his pitches at any time, another very important characteristic of a dominant pitcher.

McDonald’s performances this season should earn him a trip to the All-Star Game in July, along with Burnett and McCutchen, and he still has a chance to pick up some hardware when the season culminates in the form of the Cy Young Award, given to the best pitcher in each league.

But more importantly for the Pirates, he needs to keep helping them win ballgames.

Although he has only received a decision in nine of his 14 starts, the Pirates are 10-5 overall when McDonald takes the mound. That record is the second best of any pitcher on the Pirates’ staff — behind only Burnett. The Pirates are 10-2 in Burnett’s 12 starts this season.

Speaking of Burnett, his impact on the young pitcher cannot be overlooked.

With the lessons learned and knowledge gained over the course of Burnett’s 13-year career, many attribute the improvement in McDonald’s mental state to the advice given to him by the experienced pitcher, as well as veteran catcher Rod Barajas.

Armed with wisdom from veterans, as well as an electric repertoire of pitches, expect McDonald to continue his dominance for the rest of this season and beyond.

Players like McDonald and McCutchen give Pirates fans hope for the future as the club seems to have an ace pitcher and a stud center fielder in place for years to come.

Later down the line, McDonald will hopefully lead a four-headed monster pitching staff consisting of himself and the Pirates’ recent first-round pitching draft picks — Gerrit Cole, who is tearing up the minor leagues, Jameson Taillon and Mark Appel.

But players like McDonald also give fans hope for the present.

With the Pirates holding a record above .500 heading into July for the second year in a row, the club’s present is looking just as bright as its future.