Blue Jays’ Bieber Refining Changeup for 2024
- Okay, here's a breakdown of the key information from the provided text, focusing on Shane Bieber's improved changeup:
- Main Point: shane Bieber's changeup has substantially improved in 2025, becoming a valuable weapon, particularly against left-handed hitters.
- * Past Usage: Historically, Bieber rarely used his changeup (under 5% of the time between 2021-2023) and it wasn't effective (no strikeouts).
Okay, here’s a breakdown of the key information from the provided text, focusing on Shane Bieber‘s improved changeup:
Main Point: shane Bieber’s changeup has substantially improved in 2025, becoming a valuable weapon, particularly against left-handed hitters. This advancement is not just in usage, but also in velocity and, crucially, movement.
Key Details:
* Past Usage: Historically, Bieber rarely used his changeup (under 5% of the time between 2021-2023) and it wasn’t effective (no strikeouts).
* 2025 Usage Increase: He’s using it much more frequently against lefties (18.4% usage rate), a career high.
* Early 2025 Success: The changeup has already resulted in 4 strikeouts.
* Stats (Early 2025):
* Average Velocity: 89.2 mph
* Whiff Rate: 46.2%
* xwOBA against: .168
* Left-handed hitters are slashing .143/.176/.163 against him, with a 37.3% strikeout rate.
* Movement Improvement: This is the most important factor.The changeup is now:
* Harder: Higher velocity than ever before.
* More Drop: Falls over 10 inches more than it did earlier in his career.
* 2024 Teaser: There were hints of improvement in his brief 2024 appearance (increased usage, velocity, 3 strikeouts), but the movement wasn’t as dramatic.
* Visual Comparison: The article includes GIFs and images demonstrating the difference in vertical break between his 2024 and 2025 changeups. The 2025 version has significantly more downward movement.
* 2024 Changeup: Average vertical break of 28.1 inches.
* 2025 Changeup: Drops noticeably more, exceeding the average changeup’s movement.
In essence, the article argues that bieber isn’t just throwing his changeup more, he’s throwing a better changeup, and that’s making a real difference in his performance, especially against left-handed batters. The author acknowledges the small sample size but emphasizes the notable improvement in the pitch’s movement as a key indicator.