One Change that Saved Verlanders Season

[tbone413]

One change that saved Verlanders season

Was thinking about putting this in the 'Tigers Notes' thread, but didnt want to mess up KC's stuff, so I decided to make a separate topic.

But the Washington Post had a pretty good piece breaking down Verlanders recent success, and how him changing from the slider to a cutter has paid massive dividends.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...e-change-that-saved-justin-verlanders-season/

There are two distinct facets that have vastly improved since his early struggles. The quick and easy one is his increased velocity, as his four-seam fastball has improved consistently since the start of the season, peaking at an average velocity of 94.5 mph in his last start against Chicago. Velocity helps across the board, as it can mask pitches with poor location, increase the spin rates on breaking balls, and emphasize the speed difference of change-ups. It?s not uncommon for pitchers to need a few weeks to rev up their engine as they get into the routine of the season, and Verlander seems to have had some rust he needed to shake off.

But there is more to Verlander?s success than simply throwing the ball harder. After his start against Oakland on April 27, Brooks Baseball shows Verlander switching from a slider to a cutter, which became a prominent member of his repertoire beginning in his May 8 start against Texas. The shift in pitch approach came with the same velocity jump as his fastball, but also one notable difference: a major increase in vertical movement.

Watching the start contrast between these pitches should make it no surprise that Verlander has earned more than three inches of extra vertical movement with his cutter since the transition from his slider. And the results have followed. During the first six games, Verlander earned a whiff rate of less than 10 percent with the pitch. Since his bold tweet, Verlander has more than doubled that to 20.91 percent with his cutter. It?s a staggering difference and a clear catalyst for his new success on the hill.