Guardians Ace Reveals What He's Worked On This Offseason

Tanner Bibee of the Cleveland Guardians has worked on one specific pitch during the offseason.

Aug 25, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee (61) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Tanner Bibee has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the Cleveland Guardians rotation. And until Shane Bieber comes back and proves he's healthy, Bibee will be Cleveland's ace.

The 25-year-old is coming off of a solid sophomore season in which he finished with a 3.47 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 117 ERA+. However, even he realizes there's more work to be done.

Bibee recently did an interview with Pitching Ninja and was asked what he's been working on this offseason. The starter revealed that most of his work has been on increasing the effectiveness of his fastball.

"Right now, I'm just trying to get my fastball better - fourseam. I think getting more ride on it would definitely help if I can just do that and keep everything else the same. I think that since every hitter is looking for a fastball, fourseam fastball, if that pitch is better, they have to respect it more, which makes my other pitches a lot better," said Bibee.

"I feel like my other pitches last year were really good; it was just my fastball got hit a little hard. But if I can do that, I feel like I'm in a good spot."

Oct 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee (28) reacts as he is relieved in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers in game one of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Bibee is spot on with this self-assessment. His fastball was easily the pitch that needed the most work after analyzing last season. His four-seam recorded a run value of -10, a wOBA of .364, and a hard-hit percentage of 46.3.

The rest of the ace's pitches were exceptional, above-average, or even elite, especially Bibee's cutter, which had a run value of +13.

If Bibee can figure out a way to establish his fastball command earlier in counts, it could lead to not only his first All-Star season but a true breakout year as one of MLB's top pitches.

It will be exciting to watch Bibee's Spring Training start to see how all the work he put in over the offseason shows up on the mound.