The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Astros Pitcher Spencer Arrighetti Joins Matt & Ross from Spring Training

Episode Date: February 17, 2026

Astros Pitcher Spencer Arrighetti Joins Matt & Ross from Spring Training

We have to ask a very important question. Oh, that's true. Oh, there's a lot of things important. Yeah, yeah, very important question. The only important thing is my kids are being born soon. Like how soon? Like in the next month. Kids?

Twins? Twins? Triplets? Just two. Did you have a reveal party? Not really. Just did like a little private thing with my wife and it was nice. So the room is already done?

Yes. Room is done. Did you paint? No. It's white. Blank slate for when they get to have like. opinions. Very, very smart.

The Tabula Rossi, is it word. Boy, girl, two girls, two boys. Two boys. Two boys. You got names picked out yet? I sure do. You're not going to tell us, aren't? Absolutely not.

It's Matt and Ross, I think, the names, right? Yeah, we actually, we did consider that. Matt, Ross, I mean, it sounds great. They do what, it's, you know, it's not matching, but they work together, you know. For a year, it's 16 years now. All right. So you've been busy this off-season. Yeah, clearly.

Yeah. Getting ready. Last year, in a nutshell, my friend. How do you want to describe it? Chalk it up to bad luck. Yes, Spencer Ergetty. Yeah, I don't want you ever in the outfield. No, I will never play catch when they're hitting on the field.

Like in the All-Star game? You know they have the homerun contest? I'm not even letting you out there. No. No, Lord willing, if I do make one of those, I will not be shacking fly balls during the All-Star game. Elbowing the kids out of the way? I'll let them have fun. Yeah.

That'll be good. So you are 100% healed. No issues to speak of. None at all. Okay. So the throwing program, everything was about the same, or did you intensify things? And it's always the easy, low-hanging fruit question today. How was your off-season?

But I have to ask, because we didn't see much of you last year. No, it was good. My off-season was good. I took more rest. So I got three opinions when I had the elbow thing pop up just to make sure that, you know, everybody was on the same page. And it was Meister, it was Kremtack. It was our team doctor at home, and everybody's recommendation was just give it a break.

Let it scar up a little bit. There was some inflammation, just like a little bit of, like, no tears anywhere, but like a little spacing that shouldn't really be there. You know, it just seemed like there was some wear and tear happening from the way that I was throwing the ball that wasn't supposed to. So shut it down, start at square one eight weeks later, played catch for eight weeks, low intensity, and the next eight weeks after that, ramped it up, and that was the whole offseason right there.

So for me, it felt normal. I don't really try to throw hard when it's not time to. But I also never take eight weeks down from throwing. In the past, I'll get myself three to five days and then, you know, just light toss three times a week. So that was the hardest part for me. It was just showing up to the gym every day knowing I can't play catch and I just got to do my rehab stuff. But it was the best thing for me. Shoulders feel healthy.

Elbows feel really healthy. So that's really what I care about at this point. And things are starting to feel really smooth on the mound again, which is what I'm used to. And I feel like I'm right now. stride. I got a live tomorrow for the first time, or actually second live this offseason. I threw one at Dyken before we came down here and I'll throw one tomorrow, another 20 pitch live. So just kind of slowly building back into it. I think I'll have live bullpen live bullpen game. So I won't throw the first week of games, but I'll be right back in there in the second week of

games and I'm really excited for it. You got a lot of competition, my man. We want you back to where you were a couple of years ago, but there are guys chasing after you right now. And that's healthy and cool, but you still want to be a part of that opening five or six-man rotation. 100%. I love competition, though. I mean, I feel like that's been my whole career and my whole life up to this point is proving that I'm one of those guys that should be taking the ball when we're starting games, and that is exactly what I'm here to do this spring training

is prove that nothing's changed. Prove that I'm the same guy that I was in really the second half of 24 is what I'm the most proud of in the big leagues, and that's exactly what I'm chasing, is just be that guy again. How do you get back to that guy? What is that like? It feels like it's kind of very unique journey for you, as you said, the second half of the 24. Then, of course, what happened last year. Where are you right now, as opposed to where you were around that time, both mentally and physically? That's a tough question to answer. I mean, obviously, over the course of the season, you kind of, you gain some and lose some certain places, and during the off season, you're trying to sharpen everything. So right now, I feel like everything is sharp. I feel like my velocity is very normal, definitely a little bit higher. than it was last year coming into spring training, so I'm excited by that.

I was not excited about how hard I was throwing when I did come back from injury last year. But again, it's tough to shut down for eight weeks during the year and then get back up to where you were before that. So the thumb thing was, again, I chalk it to bad luck, but it was tough to overcome that. And the fact that I was able to get back quickly and pitch for the team again was something I was really proud of. Granted, now I look back at it and I realize I wasn't fully prepared to be doing that, neither mentally or physically. So this offseason, I feel like I did a lot of, you know,

more things than I would normally do in an off season to make sure that my body was going to be ready and going to be fully prepared. And I think it's been good for me. I got a much more regimented arm care program this year. And in the past, like, before I got called up, like, it sounds crazy to admit this on air, but I wasn't doing arm care. Like I did, I was never one of the guys doing forearm exercises. Delete this part of the conversation. No, honestly, don't. Because it's, it's part of the growth. I'm proud of it now. I've got the wherewithal to know. Like I can't pitch 30 times in a season in the big leagues if I don't do this stuff. So it's really, it's really good for me. I have a fantastic team of people at DST and Houston that helped me find exactly what it was I needed

to do day in and day out to feel good and to be ready to take the ball. So yeah, I'm just excited to get down here and compete. Yeah, you've talked about growth and one of the things we've had you now on just about every year, the last couple years, and we talked about being more. more into numbers and spin rates. And then after your first lengthy year in 24, kind of backing off that a little bit, what's your relationship with finding the harmony between using both the numbers and just the field?

So I think during rehab and during the post-rehab throwing, it was really important for me to dive back into the technology again and make sure that the release window was the same as it was and the extension and the shape on all the pitches. That was good for me to check off. those things post-rehab or post-shutdown, I guess. And now that I'm back competing again, I'm trying to kind of ignore the computer programs a little bit. You know, obviously I'm taking what our analytics team says and trying to apply it to what I like to do. And I think that that's the

happy balance is I got to go out there and play my game and pitch my game. But I also need to listen to the guys that know a little bit more about the hitters and they get paid to sit there and do research about the hitters. So anytime, I don't know if you guys are familiar with Holden, but he's the guy that we work with on the pitching side for the most part in the analytics team. And anytime I have a question about like, hey, like, is this pitch better or is this pitch better to this hitter? Like, I'll go to him because I can't just watch the video and know that.

I mean, I can go in there and I can look at all his numbers and stuff. But we have so many things that go into what our game plan is that I've got a give and take. You know, like if I feel strongly convicted about something, that's what I'm going to do in the big moment. But when there's there's opportunity for me to like learn something about this hitter or that hitter, I need to take the chance to do that too. So I think it's just, I'm somewhere right in the middle now, just kind of the same as the last time we talked about it. Spencer, Gitty with us here on the Matt Thomas show with Ross from West Palm Beach. Has the skip told you guys don't even bother challenging on ABS or is he, what has there been

an official message? I think it goes without saying, dude. I think everything's a strike. That's the real problem. My eyes move a lot and the ball stays in the same spot. So, I don't think I could ever possibly tell you with 100% certainty, like on borderline pitches, whether it was in or out. So in my head, I will never once put the hand on my hat. You know, I'll leave that to the catchers because they're really, really good at knowing the strike zone. And obviously the hitters are as well.

So I really think that's what it's more for is for the guys that are confident in whether it was over the plate or not. I think up and down is going to be, it's going to be a learning curve. like the I don't know if you guys have watched AAA games in the last few years with the ABS but it gets a little inconsistent at times just a little bit

and I think that some of that was intentional like tinkering to try to find the strike zone but it now seems like they've got a pretty good algorithm where it's like relative to your stance height relative to your load height calibrate okay yeah yeah like I think it's in a good spot I think it's probably I don't think they would put it in the big leagues if it wasn't ready for us to use it so I think

you're glad you don't have to face L2 too there. No. Yeah, no, I am really glad about that. I'm really glad I don't have to face a lot of guys on R2. Yeah, he's one of them. I'm trying to think, who have you, is there anybody here in camp you faced? I'm trying to think. So, Jack's Biggers, who's in camp with us, I faced him in Round Rock a little bit in 23, and I think also in rehab. No, I actually didn't, I didn't have Round Rock in rehab, but 24, first game of the season, actually, yeah, before I got called up. So I've seen him a few times. I think he might. It might be it, actually. Do you like it when, and how many teammates, how many friends you have outside of other teams?

A handful, a handful, definitely. Do you all s-talk each other when I got you? Or, hey, I took you D, how's your neck feel kind of thing? You know, honestly, I'm friends with more pitchers than hitters, so we don't ever get around to that. But I would say the guys that I train with at my gym in Houston, chain boss, Logan Henderson. Those guys we just like to talk shop, you know, not necessarily the other S, but shop. We like talking pitching. But no.

The other S-H. Yeah, in camp, it gets fun. When you get live at bats against guys that you'll never face in games, it is easy to kind of let it fly a little bit more. And I don't think I've been got by many people in camp, knock on wood. But Caesar-Salazar likes to tell everybody that he caught him, and in reality is he didn't get anybody. Okay, a couple of final questions.

How cranky were you middle of the year when the thing went down? I mean, were you, like, get away from me? Because we don't go in the clubhouse like because our show was on during your all's time. But were you a pleasant person or were you like, get away from me? I don't want to tell me. How did your wife feel about it? I mean, obviously you guys did okay. Yeah, we did fine.

She never got sick of me, that's for sure. She's also a superhero. I mean, she'll listen to me. Be and moan over whatever it might have been that day. And it's good for me to just kind of get it out and let it go. But I think for the most part, like during the rehab part, I'm sure you could ask other people and they'd have different opinions. I did have a conversation with a couple guys one day. It was like, hey, man, like you're kind of a downer lately and it sucks.

And then I feel like I tried to make an effort to be a little bit less that way. But it is hard sometimes, man. Like you get into the routine of showing up before everybody else, finish your work before everybody else, and then sit around to watch the game. And, you know, you're not pitching that week. You know, you're not pitching that month. It might be a couple months. you don't really have a date on the calendar yet, and it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So I don't necessarily fault myself or anyone else for kind of falling victim to that when you're in rehab. But I also, like when it was brought to my attention, I feel like I made a big effort to not be that way and just be a cheerleader for the guys instead. If I was telling a teenage Spencer Arrogati as he's throwing two no-hitters against my alma mater, Maine Creek, that the chance of you getting hurt among everybody else in pitching is significant. I mean, how many guys get to live a clean life? it's very few. What would I have told, what would your reaction to be to be saying, hey, I thought I was invincible

back then. That's what I'm saying. I think everybody thinks that. Yeah, I definitely thought I was invincible. I certainly didn't think it was going to be a fly ball during batting practice that would do me in for the first time. But, yeah, I think I probably would have laughed at you. I probably would have told you, no, I'm just going to go throw another no-hitter

against Made Creek here in a couple weeks. God, it feels personal. Okay, fantasy football, we almost invited you last year. I finished second. Oh, boy. How'd you do? I won. Again? No, I didn't win last time.

I thought you were in a bunch of leagues. No, this year I kept it to one, and I won. So maybe I'll just play in one for the rest of time. No, you know why? Because when you're in one and you don't make the playoffs, you hate it. So that's why I like to do much. I like to do like five. We play with the score median matchup,

and Hayden Wes Neski and I were 14, 13, and 1. We tied a game down to the 100th of a point. Okay. Because that Crescott took a knee four times. to end the game. So Hayden missed the playoffs because I had more points scored than him. So I was the last team into the playoffs and ended up winning the whole thing. Was the name of your team?

Can't say. I love it. I thought you know it's a good one. Here's the thing. All right. So when you throw a no hitter this year, will you tell us privately what the name is? Sure. Matter of fact, why don't I just throw six innings of three hit ball and you can tell us then too?

If I go more than seven, less than two hits, It's more than 10 strikeouts. You'll get it out of me. Okay, so here it is. Seven innings. Wow. How many? Two runs.

Not two hits. Okay, yeah, two runs. Two runs. You have a good strikeout number. Your walks are a little high. I'm a little worried about that, but pitch count can be a factor. 10Ks, two runs or less, seven innings. You are going to tell us the team name.

Off air, off record, yes. And we will not publish us it. It will stay in our little circle of trust. Of course. Yes. Our friend Spencer Arragetti with us here. It is so happy to have him back and healthy ready to go. We wish you have them to be.

the very best and we'll talk to you during the course of the year thank you for the time thank you guys always love being on spencer getting with us here at 1250 may 1154 here from west palm beach this is sports talk 790