Refound Velocity Helping Shane Bieber With More Than Fastball, Guardians Breakdown
Cleveland Guardians' ace Shane Bieber is looking to redefine himself as one of the top pitchers in baseball after he's trended downhill in the seasons coming off of his 2020 Cy Young. There's been a lot of noise surrounding Bieber's refound fastball velocity which has been on display during spring training.
Yes, adding two or three extra miles an hour onto the heater is an important step in getting back to where he was. However, this refound velocity will have some other effects too.
Carl Willis broke all of this down and highlighted what he's seen from Bieber so far in camp.
"Obviously, the first thing that shows itself is there has been an uptick in velocity which, if you talk to Shane, was probably his primary focus. But I think in doing that, once he started to accomplish that, it led to some things improving that maybe he didn't anticipate. He's started to get some power back to the curveball and now with the finish to his fastball, he's finding a place for another secondary pitch to be a part of the game plan."
Mar 2, 2024; Goodyear, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) pitches against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
© Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Bieber has even admitted himself that he's been working on developing a new pitch during camp. He's spent time throwing the change up, a pitch he's rarely used the last two seasons, and it's been successful so far.
The 29-year-old has made two starts in camp, pitched 5.2 innings and has an ERA of 3.18 and a 1.24 WHIP. It is spring training so take those stats for what you will, but it certainly seems like Bieber could have a resurgent season based on how he and the coaching staff have been talking.
