By Ben Leonard

photo credit: newsreality.com–Angels pitcher Hector Santiago

TEMPE, Ariz. — Spring training is a time for rejuvenation — in optimism, health, and confidence. Every club, every player, and every manager has a fresh slate to work with. For Angels’ pitcher Hector Santiago, that fresh slate includes a reworked slider and a fresh haircut.

A fresh haircut— an intricate angular design shaved into the side and all — and his revamped pitch have Santiago very confident about the 2016 season after a Jekkyl and Hyde style 2015. In the first half, the Jekkyl version of Santiago was dominant, posting a 2.33 ERA while earning an All-Star spot for the Halos. The second half, Hyde was a different story — Santiago struggled to throw strikes and lost his All-Star form entirely, posting a 5.47 ERA.

However, Santiago is confident that his second half will just be a blip on the radar. “[Heading into this year], I’m very confident,” Santiago said. “Last year, my first half was phenomenal, and the second half was a grind for me. Half the time I was out there, I had a good chance to help us win games, so I’m very confident. It’s just a matter of putting it all together and throwing [consistent] strikes.”

However, after his third Cactus League start on Saturday, Santiago still has a few things to work on. With a goal of completing four innings on Saturday, Santiago lasted just 2.2 innings against the Giants, giving up three runs (1 ER). A high pitch count forced Mike Scioscia to cut the cord early, something Santiago feels he needs to work on.

“I need to get guys out earlier. I’m getting guys into 0-1, 1-2, 0-2 counts, but I want them to get out earlier, so I need to find a way to get them swinging at that first pitch. Maybe I need to be a little less fine with the first pitch to get them to attack the ball.”

Despite those issues, Santiago is assured that his slider will help him return to prominence in 2016. His offseason goal was to make his slider “really good,” and so far, the results have been encouraging. On Saturday, Santiago threw thirteen or fourteen sliders, a large share of them for strikes. The slider hasn’t always been there for Santiago — it had been inconsistent, at best, throughout his career.

The last time the determined Santiago set out to to perfect a pitch was two years ago, when he regained control of his inside fastball. Don’t bet against Santiago’s reclamation project — his slider has been great in all three of his starts and his five bullpens so far.

For Santiago, a rejuvenated slider would be a great tool to get left-handed hitters out. Previously he had relied too heavily on his fastball with lefties, making it all too easy for them to know what was coming. He’s throwing it “harder” and with more “downward depth” than before — watch out, AL West.

As a veteran, Santiago “figured out” the pitch by himself, self-making the pitch by tinkering with it. He altered the grip, making it like an “off-set” four-seam fastball, looking at video for inspiration. However, as a respectful teammate, Santiago tried not to annoy his teammates too much by asking them to play catch everyday to work on it.

“You’re around the guys all season, and they want to go home and relax. and I tried not to bother anyone when they were with their family. If I did play catch with anyone, I would ask them what the pitch was doing, if I needed to get on top of it more, or if it was getting like a slurve. Every time I touched the ball, I made sure I had a plan to help me execute [the pitch.]”

Overall, Saturday was a big day of progress for Santiago with his slider and his location. Armed with a deeper arsenal of pitches, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic that Santiago can become more confident and return to form. The slick haircut can’t hurt either.