Addition by (Non-)Subtraction: How the Twins Really Improve Pitchers' Velocity - Caretaker Exclusive

[Matthew Trueblood]

It's been a common theme for the Twins lately, from the farm system up to the parent club. They keep finding ways to add extra velocity to various pitchers. What if I told you that's (partially, kind of) a ruse?

Obviously, the Twins really have gotten some extra velocity out of a handful of arms taken in the later rounds of the draft over recent years. Just as obviously, they really have helped Jhoan Durán morph into the hardest-throwing pitcher in baseball, and they've helped Jorge Alcalá work his way up to the cusp of triple digits with his heat at times. Through technology-informed strength training and mechanical work, they unlock plenty of pitchers and get them throwing harder than they knew they could throw, without compromising their health or command.

That, however, is only part of the story. When we talk about fastball velocity, we nearly always talk about average fastball velocity, because we think and see in three dimensions and listing the velocity of every fastball a pitcher throws would be a grossly inefficient way to communicate how hard they throw. Averages work. Averages condense a lot of information into a single number.

That number can be noisy, though. After all, hitters don't see an average fastball every time the pitcher winds and fires. They see one baseball, and if that pitch has an extra tick on it, they might be tied up. If it's a tick slow, on the other hand, they might get out ahead of it. Famously, in the 2022 NLDS, Spencer Strider threw the slowest fastball of his career (before or since) to Rhys Hoskins, and Hoskins unloaded on it in a way that was grossly unfamiliar to Strider fans up to that point.

Adding and subtracting on the fastball can be a good thing, too. Throwing slower by accident is nearly always bad, but taking a bit off to get better movement or change a hitter's timing without changing pitch selection can be valuable. So can keeping a little bit in the tank, so as to be able to reach back for that pivotal extra yard on the ball when the game is on the line.

Still, on balance, adding is a lot more valuable than subtracting. That's the lesson at the heart of the Twins' plans for increasing hurlers' velocity, and it's the secret to the success they've had with it.

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[Parfigliano]

Doesnt Ober's fastball seem faster to the hitter because of his size?  He's tall with a longer stride so his release comes from closer to the plate.  Thats gotta help.

[CCHOF5yearstoolate]

2 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

Doesnt Ober's fastball seem faster to the hitter because of his size?  He's tall with a longer stride so his release comes from closer to the plate.  Thats gotta help.

Twins 'Starter' fastballs, sorted by extension:

Ober's fastball looks ~2mph faster than it is because of his release point. Was surprised to see Pablo so close to Ober's extension.