Uh-oh. Simeon Woods Richardson is Throwing Gas Again.

This is potentially big news, because Simeon Woods Richardson has had a velocity problem. Since being acquired by the Twins as part of the José Berríos trade, he's seen his velocity - and prospect status - decline. Last year, as a 22-year-old, that resulted in an unsightly 4.91 ERA at Triple-A St. Paul. Even given his relative youth, there were plenty of concerns. What had happened to the velocity?

"I honestly think it was from being so over the top," said Woods Richardson, talking about his arm slot. "I wasn't able to use my full potential."

The idea behind being over the top was that it allowed his pitches to be more deceptive, to disguise the pitches longer to the batter. But it appears the side effect of that was to significantly hinder his natural athleticism. So, over the offseason, he and the Twins decided to try something new.

"It was from both parties," Woods Richardson said. "I wanted to change for the better, and why not? And they said, 'OK, let's sit down. Let's talk about this.' And we came up with a couple of things, working on mechanical stuff. Let's see if we can drop the slot a little bit and see where it goes."

So Richardson got to spring training a month early and started working on becoming more "rotational," meaning he throws a little more across his body than up and down. Both Woods Richardson and Twins officials thought that work looked like it had been paying off, at least in the bullpen. 

But the real proving ground is a game where the adrenaline is flowing. Among the most difficult proving grounds is George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees' spring training park. Woods Richardson started Monday and was lucky enough to test his new stuff versus DJ LeMahieu, Juan Soto, and Gleyber Torres. ?

Three up .... three down. With a strikeout of Soto for good measure. And eight fastballs over 92 mph. His release point was, indeed, noticeably different from the 2023 Woods Richardson:

And from that change in delivery came a change in movement, too, as well as the added velocity that came from a freer arm swing. His fastball was a true fastball again, rather than a cutter. His slider had more consistent depth, and much more separation from that fastball. The changeup is a more functional pitch against a lefty, with greater run away from them.

Three batters doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. But a long journey starts with a first step. It also goes a lot faster - and is a lot more fun - if you add a little velocity.

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