It’s not everyday that you wake up $25 million richer, but that’s exactly what Chris Archer did Thursday morning after his six year/$25.5 million contract with the Rays was finalized on Wednesday.
So one would think that would be on the young right-hander’s mind just hours later, when he made his first start of the season, but for Archer it was just another day at the office.
“I’ve never thought about it before,” Archer said. “Having a contract, or not having a contract never occurred to me. Once I step in between those white lines, it’s all about competing and helping my team win.”
Archer knows exactly how to do that. The 25-year-old landed his new deal in large part to the impressive 3.22 ERA he compiled in his 23 starts last season and showed he can be downright dominant at times, posting a 4-0 record and a 0.73 ERA in July of last year en route to American League Pitcher of the Month honors.
Archer also understand that he’s going to be under a microscope from now on. Instead of just being a nice surprise–the way he was in 2013–he’s now the guy the Rays will count on for a quality start every 5th day. For him, it’s all just part of the process.
“This is all part of me just trying to strengthen myself mentally,” the former 5th round pick of the Indians said. “It’s just baseball, and I’m here to have fun.”
Archer looked like he was having plenty of fun Thursday night against the Blue Jays, spinning 6.0 quality innings to lead the Rays past the Blue Jays 7-2 at Tropicana Field. In front of just under 10,000 fans, Archer gave up two runs in the 4th inning for the only damage done against him, and scattered four hits and two walks while striking out seven Blue Jays hitters on the night.
But despite the win and the quality start, Archer wasn’t particularly pleased with his performance.
“I have a lot of room to grow after today,” Archer said of his outing. “Thankfully, my defense made some plays out there for me and I got some great run support early.”
Archer was more disappointed with his command early in the count than anything else.
“Get ahead and get strike one,” Archer said on what he needs to improve. “I fell behind way too many times, and I was able to make critical pitches at the right times from behind in the count, but I can’t rely on that moving forward.”
Archer features a fastball in the 93-96 range with good sink, a devastating slider, and a serviceable changeup. He essentially eliminated the pitch on Thursday, however.
“I’m a fastball, slider guy,” he said. “My changeup is my third best pitch and the lineup dictated that I didn’t throw it as much tonight. It was there for me when I had to throw it though.”
Archer’s plan for his next start is simple, and it comes down to the one word that he used to describe his first start of the season.
“Passive,” Archer said. “I was much too passive with my fastball. Next start, and going forward, I’m going to be much more aggressive.”
Follow OPSN Lead Writer Shawn Ferris on Twitter @RealShawnFerris for more MLB news, updates, interviews, and analysis.
Filed under: 2014 Season, Chris Archer, Contract Extension, Feature, Interview, Tampa Bay Rays Tagged: Baseball, Chris Archer, Contract Extension, feature, Interview, MLB, Sports, Tampa Bay Rays
