Jameson Taillon on Switching Seams and Missing Bats

We had multiple Pirates articles here at FanGraphs yesterday. Craig Edwards, for example, wrote about how Gerrit Cole’s slider went missing against the Red Sox. Travis Sawchik wrote about the embattled shift. I contributed, as well, with a piece called “Searage, Taillon, and the Pirates Upstairs“.

I’d spoken to pitching coach Ray Searage and right-hander Jameson Taillon on Monday, and the latter followed up on our conversation with a stellar effort on Wednesday night. Making his first start of the season, Taillon tossed seven scoreless frames against a potent Boston lineup. His most impressive performance came in the fifth inning. In a scoreless game, the Red Sox had put runners on second and third with none out. Taillon responded by recording consecutive strikeouts, then got Dustin Pedroia to bounce back to the mound.

I planned to follow-up with Taillon this morning to get his thoughts on the performance, particularly in regard to his sequencing. Unfortunately, this afternoon’s game was postponed early due to weather, and the Pirates clubhouse wasn’t opened to media.

Despite that disappointment, I do have follow-up Taillon content to provide. The majority of what he told me earlier in the week wasn’t included in yesterday’s article, with today in mind. Here are the highlights.

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Taillon on why he’s throwing more two-seam, and fewer four-seam, fastballs: “I kind of put pressure on myself to command my four-seam. Basically, I got a little too fine with it at times. The two-seam is just a much more aggressive mentality, and I do put guys on the ground with it. I’ll throw bad two-seams in my head — out of my hand, I think they’re bad — and I’ll still put hitters on the ground. It’s a better pitch for me.

“With a four-seam, where you throw it is where it’s going to go. If you start middle with it, it’s going to end middle and guys are going to square it up. With the two-seam, I can throw it middle and it’s going to go down. Some days it runs, sometimes it sinks, but it’s always moving late, usually enough to miss a barrel.”

On changing his changeup grip: “I used to throw a four-seam changeup because I threw mostly four-seam fastballs. I’ve kind switched that to 70% two-seam fastballs and 30% fours. Now I’m throwing a two-seam changeup to pair up with that. I started doing it this spring. We’re breaking it out and I’m running with it. We’ll see how it goes, but I’m liking the early results.

“My changeup is a little like my two-seam in that some days it runs a little bit, and some days it sinks a little bit. I’m not looking for a foot of run or a foot of sink, I’m just looking for a tiny bit of late movement. But the main thing I want is to pair it up with my spin, so it looks the same out of the hand. That, and arm speed to get guys out in front, is what a changeup is all about.”

On his mindset, and his ability to miss bats: “I’m pretty simple-minded on the mound. Breathe. Make pitches. That’s something I’ve learned about the process. One pitch at a time. That’s a buzzword, but over the years I’ve learned to embrace that. I want to execute the highest percentage of pitches I can.

“I feel like I have the stuff to where, with a runner on third and less than two outs, I can miss a bat. I have punch-out stuff. But with no one on, facing a seven-hole hitter, I’m looking to get early contact. I’m pitching situationally. I’m picking my spots on when to go for punch outs, or when to pitch around guys, when to be safe with guys.”

On what he learned while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery: “I learned a lot. Mechanics, throwing program, how to approach my work in between starts — how I can best throw between starts that will transfer onto the mound — weight-lifting routine, arm-care routine, diet. Basically, I went back to the drawing board and attacked anything I thought could be cleaned up.

“I sought out players who’d had the procedures I had. I sought out staff, trainers — anyone I thought could help me, I wasn’t afraid to ask questions. I missed two years, but I didn’t waste two years. I was still developing and improving my game.”