The Changeup

Baseball Digest, July, 2000 by John Romano

For pitchers, the appearance of velocity can be the key to success

In creating the illusion of throwing a fastball, hurlers can disrupt a hitter's timing

IN BIG-TIME SPORTS, THEY SAY SPEED kills. But sometimes the illusion of it can be just as lethal.

Pitchers spend six weeks in the Florida sun every spring rebuilding their arm strength, but not always with fastballs in mind.

As intriguing as the 95 mph fastball may be to fans, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are just as interested in seeing pitchers throw a changeup.

Ryan Rupe reached the majors after 18 minor-league starts with it. Rookie Dan Wheeler could make the rotation because his developed rapidly last spring. Tony Saunders, attempting a comeback from a broken arm, mastered it while still in high school.

It would be difficult to walk through Tampa Bay's clubhouse without bumping into a pitcher with a changeup.

That's by design," manager Larry Rothschild said, "not accident."

Rothschild, a former pitching coach for the Florida Marlins, is a firm believer that, for many pitchers, the changeup is critical to their development.

"Other than strike one," former Devil Rays pitching coach Rick Williams said, "it might be the most important pitch in baseball."

Why the emphasis on the changeup?

There are many reasons, and Rothschild believes they are all good.

First, the changeup functions as a pitch to retire hitters. Saunders said he has so much faith in his changeup, he would rather throw it than his fastball on a 3-and-2 count with the bases loaded.

Second, the pitch can set up every other weapon in a pitcher's arsenal. Hitters who get fooled by changeups often look foolish. Given that hitters do not like to look foolish, some tend to obsess about changeups and miss other pitches.

Perhaps best of all, the changeup produces little stress on the arm, reducing the risk of injuries.

"Everybody wants to throw a breaking ball, see the big bend. The changeup doesn't have a lot of action on it, so kids don't think it works," Saunders said. "When I work with younger kids I tell them not to mess with breaking balls because they'll do damage to their arm. You can't throw a changeup the wrong way. You can't hurt your arm with it."

The concept is simple. Throw a pitch that looks exactly like a fastball, but keep it under 80 mph instead of over 90 mph.

The execution is more difficult. The key is not varying your delivery or arm speed to tip off the hitter.

"It's so mental," said Wheeler, who began throwing a changeup as a college freshman. It took him four years to get it right.

"You have to tell yourself that you're throwing a fastball. But the changeup is a slower pitch and you have this thought in your head to slow your body down, but it won't work that way."

The secret to throwing a changeup is in the grip. By altering the grip, the ball has less velocity coming off the fingers.

The index and middle fingers are considered the power fingers when throwing a ball. To throw as hard as possible, the ball is held with those two fingers on top and the thumb underneath.

Conversely, those two fingers are not used as much when throwing a changeup.

There are a variety of grips for changeups. Saunders throws a version of the palm ball, with the ball resting in the back of his hand instead of being supported by fingers.

A more popular version is the circle change. That means lowering the index finger until it is close to the tip of the thumb, creating a circle between them on the side of the ball, almost akin to making an "okay" sign. With the index finger off the top, the grip is softened.

Adding the ring finger to the index and middle fingers on top of the ball can also work, as well as a vulcan grip that has the ball between the middle and ring fingers.

"For a lot of guys it's hard to find a grip they're comfortable with," said Dave Eiland, who uses a changeup as his fourth pitch. "First, you have to find a grip that takes the velocity off. But you have to make sure it's a grip you're comfortable with and have command of and can throw strikes with it. The whole thing is the delivery because otherwise you're tipping yourself off to what's coming."

The changeup is not as macho as a fastball and does not have the prestige of a good splitter or slider, but it can turn an ordinary arm into a big winner.

Seattle's Jamie Moyer barely hits 84 mph on his fastball but can throw a changeup at a half-dozen speeds. The better he has gotten with the pitch, the more success he has had. Moyer won 59 games the first nine years of his career.

He has won another 59 in the past four years.

Greg Maddux does not have the most impressive arm in the game but was baseball's top pitcher of the 1990s with his changeup and pinpoint control.

Pedro Martinez does have an electric fastball, but it's even more effective because of a wicked changeup.

"It disrupts a hitter's timing and that's what pitching is all about," Williams said. "You can't do it with just a fastball. No matter how hard you throw, major league hitters will eventually catch up with a fastball."