Detroit Tigers pitchers change it up

Chris Fetter took over as Detroit Tigers pitching coach in 2021. And since the start of his tenure he and his staff have emphasized using the best pitch possible. That sounds rather simple, but it hasn’t always been the case when it comes to pitchers in Detroit.

Sequencing pitches is one of the most important aspects of the game. It’s one thing if you can throw a slider, but it’s another if you can command it and throw it in a situation that calls for it. Velocity always matters, but for the two pitchers we’re talking about today, it’s not the most important thing.

Matthew Boyd

Matthew Boyd’s fastball has historically been one of his least effective offerings. But so far in 2023, thanks to better sequencing, it has been one of his best pitches. Boyd has thrown his four-seam fastball 142 times this year, and so far it has been his main strikeout pitch (31%), as well as his best swing-and-miss offering. So what has made that pitch so effective?

Below is a recent at-bat from Detroit Tigers prospect Willy Adames. Boyd landed a first-pitch strike with a slider and then he induced a swing-and-miss with his changeup. After a couple more sliders, he changed eye levels and speeds and got Adames to swing through a heater up in the zone.

Spin it

Boyd’s fastball spin is currently the highest it has ever been at 2500 RPM (93% percentile per Statcast). He’s also getting nice movement on the pitch, with 11 inches of run away from a right handed hitters. That’s three inches more than league average. This has allowed him to throw his changeup and slider early in counts to steal strikes.

When contact is made against his changeup the average exit velocity is just 79.8 MPH, which is also trending lower than his career average. It’s just April, but if he can continue to throw quality changeups Boyd should find success. Something is working. Batters have swung at 90 pitches and missed on 27 of them (30.0%) which is above league average (24.9%).

Mason Englert

So far Rule 5 pick Mason Englert (#16 on our Top 25) has not looked like a pitcher with just 15 innings of experience above High-A. He was a starter in the minors, with a four-pitch mix of a slider, curve, fastball, and change. A.J.Hinch said he was going to use Englert in high-leverage situations, and so far he has thrived in 16 innings of work. All with a fastball that has averaged 91.9 MPH.