Simeon Woods Richardson Has A New Pitch

[Cody Pirkl]

Simeon Woods Richardson hasn’t been quite the same pitcher so far in 2025. With an arsenal featuring a few good, but not great weapons, he’s struggled to retire hitters and pitch deep into games consistently. With the league adjusting to how he attacks opposing hitters, it’s time to adjust back, and it appears he’s doing just that.

One of Woods Richardson’s most highly touted offerings as a prospect was his changeup. Last season, when he was rolling, it was his third-most-used pitch, allowing a .327 xwOBA overall. That mark jumped up to .398 in September when Woods Richardson struggled mightily, and sits at a devastating .519 so far in 2025. 

Both Woods Richardson and the Twins seem aware of the problem, as his curveball has jumped ahead in terms of usage despite never being an effective pitch for him, and he’s stopped throwing the changeup altogether. It has left him with just two pitches to turn to: the slider and the fastball, which have been inconsistent in terms of velocity. It appears Simeon Woods Richardson is slowly working on a solution to this problem.

On May 14th, Statcast identified that Woods Richardson threw a splitter 5.7% of the time. He’s very slowly increased the usage of it in a handful of outings since, though it’s stayed under 10%. We’ve seen Twins pitchers such as Joe Ryan go this route before when struggling to find a consistent changeup, and we may be watching it again.

In a tiny sample, this pitch looks like it could be the next step in Woods Richardson’s development. At just over 1000 RPMs, it has less than half the spin of anything else he throws. It’s allowed a .143 xBA, .205 xSLG, and .148 xwOBA. The whiff rate doesn’t jump off the page, but it has a 25% putaway rate, indicating that it could become a trusted pitch to retire opposing hitters. 

 It’s fair to wonder whether we’re in the early stages of Simeon Woods Richardson taking a noteworthy leap as he continues to develop a new tool in his arsenal. Building confidence in a splitter is tricky and can take time, but even with the moderate usage so far, it’s worth asking whether we’ve already started to see some results. In his last four starts, Woods Richardson has allowed only four runs in 21 innings. 

It’s easy to forget that Simeon Woods Richardson is still just 24 years old. He’s younger than David Festa and Zebby Matthews. Pitching development is rarely linear, and after a great start to his career, it’s possible that it just took a bit of time to react to the adjustment the league made partway through last season.

It may not be a coincidence that we’re seeing Simeon Woods Richardson be more successful now that he has a more well-rounded pitch mix. With a lack of competition in the Twins rotation and likely no hard innings limit, Woods Richardson has a chance to once again cement himself in the back end of the rotation for 2026 down the stretch this summer. His new splitter may be the pitch that helps get him there.

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[CRF]

What a coincidence...I say a prayer every time he pitches. 

[LambchoP]

Twins sure need him to establish himself as a legit SP. With Martin looking like a part time player, the Berrios trade isn't looking all that great.

[mickster]

6 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Twins sure need him to establish himself as a legit SP. With Martin looking like a part time player, the Berrios trade isn't looking all that great.

Our return may not, but Jose had stated he wasn't signing an extension - so the trade brought back value instead of nothing.

[Doctor Gast]

Simmy is young, but he's mature for his age, emotionally & in baseball smarts. He is constantly adjusting to the game to his credit, IMO, much better than Zebby & Festa.

[Patzky]

23 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Simmy is young, but he's mature for his age, emotionally & in baseball smarts. He is constantly adjusting to the game to his credit, IMO, much better than Zebby & Festa.

I admit to not being expecting much from him this year. Amy gravy we can get is a bonus, especially with the other injuries.

 

However these last few games (The Houston one certainly!) has gone beyond gravy. Author says he's borrowing a page from Joe Ryan.. I'd like to think they all break bread over such things. 

[Patzky]

I kept looking for the prayer 🙏 and didn't see it. Maybe it's now a moot point if the prayer started "God please don't let them hit it to Julien.."

[Road trip]

Still only 24.  He will get stronger.  He will get smarter with experience.  He's just a #4 or #5 level starter at this point, but with a little luck and a lot of effort developing that splitter perhaps he can slot in as a #3 in a year or two?  Gotta hope so...  Good story!

[Doctor Gast]

19 minutes ago, Patzky said:

I admit to not being expecting much from him this year. Amy gravy we can get is a bonus, especially with the other injuries.

 

However these last few games (The Houston one certainly!) has gone beyond gravy. Author says he's borrowing a page from Joe Ryan.. I'd like to think they all break bread over such things. 

Who's Amy Gravy? Is she a pitcher? I'd like to meet her.

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

Who's Amy Gravy? Is she a pitcher? I'd like to meet her.

Post game reporter for morning games .. Rarely seen!

[jmlease1]

well, every time people write SWR off, he seems to figure something out, make an adjustment, find some additional velocity, etc. So it would not surprise me if he dumps the change up and adapts a split to be a useful offspeed option. We sure do need it to work right now with Pablo & Zebby still on the mend.

[Sjoski]

That title cracked me up — but the write-up on Simmy’s splitter was even better. Hope it sticks.

[AceWrigley]

I'd be happy if he could get through a batting order more than twice.

[BSLinPA]

24 years old with five years of team control remaining, would be crazy to write off SWR. (not saying anyone has suggested it)

[jmlease1]

11 hours ago, BSLinPA said:

24 years old with five years of team control remaining, would be crazy to write off SWR. (not saying anyone has suggested it)

Please. every time he has a bad start you get people around here declaring that he's never going to be a quality MLB starter. Fortunately, Twins management is taking a longer view with him.

[MinnInPa]

may turn into a quality # 5 ..at best.. but, a reliable # 5 is still valuable

[LambchoP]

He's looked much better lately. Hitting 96 on the radar gun, getting K's. I really think Rocco needs to take the leash off and let him go deeper into games. Last few starts he's been pulled after like 5 scoreless innings with only 50-60 something pitches thrown. He needs to be let loose if he's ever to improve and get better like we want him to. Destroying his confidence at what, 24 years old is awful management if you ask me....

[twinfan]

#5, #4,#3. Who cares? Those numbers only mean anything in the post-season (IMHO). While I'm not high on SWR, it's nice to see him adjusting at this time. Baseball is a game of always adjusting throughout most player's careers. Pitchers must adjust from game to game, within a game and, sometimes, from season to season. Hitters too. A good pitching coach and communication with fellow pitchers helps this. I hope he can continue to develop so we'll see.

[jmlease1]

2 hours ago, LambchoP said:

He's looked much better lately. Hitting 96 on the radar gun, getting K's. I really think Rocco needs to take the leash off and let him go deeper into games. Last few starts he's been pulled after like 5 scoreless innings with only 50-60 something pitches thrown. He needs to be let loose if he's ever to improve and get better like we want him to. Destroying his confidence at what, 24 years old is awful management if you ask me....

If they were destroying his confidence, wouldn't he be getting worse, not better? Which is more likely to wreck his confidence, leaving after pitching 5 excellent innings and not getting to throw in the 6th (when we have a quality bullpen) or getting rocked and coming away with no chance for the win?

Let's get him some additional early run support, I guarantee you he'll get more chances at pitching the third time through the order.

I would have preferred SWR went out for the 6th against the Cubs, but facing an excellent lineup with a slim lead, while having a rested bullpen and needing every win it can find right now, I can understand why they're not making developmental moves with a young starting pitcher and playing straight up for the win.