Guardians News: Shane Bieber's Offseason Workout Getting Attention
We've all seen what Shane Bieber can do when he's at the height of his ability. He has tremendous command of the strike zone and his slider is regarded as one of the best pitches in baseball when it's on. However, the last three seasons for Bieber have been filled with regression and injuries.
There is hope heading into the 2024 season that the pitcher fans once saw at the beginning of his career is still in there.
Bieber spent some time with Driveline Baseball this offseason and they posted his final numbers on social media which attracted the attention of Cleveland Guardians fans.
The biggest takeaway from this workout was the uptick in his fastball velocity. Driveline calculated his fastball velocity to be 93.2 mph, which was faster than in 2023 when he worked out with them.
Velo has been a massive talking point surrounding Bieber for the last few seasons. His fastball has been in a steady decline since his Cy Young season in 2020. Here's a breakdown of what that velo has looked like:
- 2020 - 94.1 mph
- 2021 - 92.8 mph
- 2022 - 91.3 mph
- 2023 - 91.3 mph
According to Driveline, Bieber is throwing his fastball almost as hard as he did back four years ago when he won the AL Cy Young. But this wasn't the only pitch that impressed during his workout.
Caption: Jul 24, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) throws the ball against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
© David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Bieber's curveball also appears to be rejuvenated as he enters the 2024 season. Driveline calculated the vertical break from his session to be 14 inches, the same break the pitch had during his 2020 workout with the company. Last season, Bieber's curveball had an average break of 11.6 inches.
This a lot of different numbers, but what does it all mean?
The former Cy Young winner hasn't been bad the last few seasons, but Bieber certainly hasn't been the same pitcher he was earlier in his career. These numbers, hopefully, point to Bieber refinding what made him one of the top pitchers in baseball, putting back a resurgent season in 2024, and leading the Guardians to another AL Central title.
