Change of Pace

Steve Bernhardt: Building the Better Ballplayer

What do the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner, the MVP of the 2008 World Series, the 2008 ERA champ and the All-Time ML Saves Leader have in common?

They all throw a great changeup.

Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Johan Santana and Trevor Hoffman are among the pitchers in the Major Leagues who have perfected the pitch that every young pitcher should have in his repertoire. After all, a major goal of pitching is to disrupt the timing of the hitter. A quality changeup disrupts timing better than any other pitch.

I have written before about the importance of fastball command to a pitcher. That is still the top priority, but the next pitch to establish is a changeup. Too many young pitchers are caught up in throwing a curveball or slider at a young age without ever learning a change. You will be amazed at the swing-and-misses and weak contact that a quality change will induce.

For many high school players around the country, there are a few more weeks before games start. Take that time to get comfortable in the bullpen with a changeup. It is a feel pitch that can be thrown from a number of different grips (circle, three-finger and vulcan a just a few of the many variations). As long as the pitch is thrown with the same delivery and arm speed as the fastball but with less velocity, it can be extremely effective. Not only will you see more success in games, but this pitch is easier on your arm than a breaking ball. In fact, most Major League pitchers throw exclusively fastballs and changeups during the early weeks of Spring Training working on command and feel while limiting the stress on their arm.

I should mention one other successful Major Leaguer with a quality changeup – Tim Lincecum. He won the National League Cy Young Award last year. Although he is best known for his electric fastball that he throws at 95-plus, this is what he said in an article on MLB.com after receiving the award as the league’s best pitcher:

"That's the thing that helped me out the most, to get more ground balls and strikeouts," Lincecum said of his changeup, explaining that finding a comfortable grip for the pitch gave him the command he lacked as a rookie.

If it’s a major part of the success of the most recent Cy Young Award Winners as well as the World Series MVP, don’t you think you should make it a part of your arsenal?


Steve Bernhardt is the Executive VP of Baseball Operations with Baseball Factory. Bernhardt played for five years in the Colorado Rockies organization. As Executive VP of Baseball Operations at Baseball Factory, he oversees all events and instruction. Bernhardt formerly served as an Associate Scout with the Colorado Rockies. He received his B.S. from the University of Richmond where he was an All-Conference player.