New Guardians reliever Shawn Armstrong adding new pitch to his arsenal

Shawn Armstrong gives us a sneak preview of his "secret" new pitch that will debut with the Cleveland Guardians in 2026.

Sep 7, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong (43) pitches against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

New Cleveland Guardians reliever, Shawn Armstrong, has revealed that he has added a brand new pitch to his arsenal.

Armstrong said on Foul Territory TV on Wednesday that he is adding a new pitch that is a ‘secret’ and you need to tune in to Spring Training to see it yourself.

Armstrong gave Foul Territory host Erik Kratz a little preview, “It’s a similar variation of the kick change, its a seam-shifting weight variation,” adding, “We wanted something that was going to be below seven vert, and if I can get it below that with the way my two-seam and four-seam plays and the way the sweeper is, the horizontal movement is kind of irrelevant. It's been pretty good, we’ll see how it plays when a batter stands in the box.”

"It's a similar variation of the kick change." 👀@SArmstrong90 breaks down a new pitch he's adding to his arsenal. pic.twitter.com/D9PPgoXe9D

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 14, 2026

That sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo to the average ear. Basically, what Armstrong is saying is that he has a new pitch that is almost like a changeup, but it has sinking action of around seven inches. 

Armstrong mentions the use of his two and four-seam fastballs. According to Baseball Savant, Armstrong threw a fastball, in this case a four-seamer, a cutter, and a sinker, 76.6% of the time, with the rest coming from his Sweeper. It is clear he wanted some movement up and down rather than just side to side. With this kick change, he will likely be able to tunnel it with his Sinker and Cutter, but it will be much slower, hence the changeup part. 

This should increase his K%, which was already in the 76th percentile (26.1%) across all MLB pitchers last season. It will also help initiate weak contact. Batters will be out ahead of the ball, causing them to roll it over or pull it foul. 

Armstrong was already a great relief pitcher that has high hopes here on this Guardians team to hold teams right where they are, no matter the situation. Adding in a pitch that he can “throw below the zone to left-handed batters” and work off his fastballs will only benefit him in the long run.

For a team that has had a quiet offseason, this is one of the few moves they did make that will massively impact 2026, for better or for worse. Fortunately, fans only need to wait less than a month to see Armstrong in action as pitchers and catchers report on February 12th in Arizona.

It is always good to see players, especially new acquisitions, working on improving and trying new things ahead of camp. Then the players can use camp to work on what they have been working on, while also getting into their usual routines to make sure they are ready for the long grind that is the MLB season