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Joined January 2026
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Great conditions for some home runs today! Check out all the game projections at basenerd.com/todays-projecti… when lineups are announced
THREAD: Pitchers who have changed their arsenal from 2025 to 2026
1. Yusei Kikuchi
What changed: Kikuchi’s arm angle jumped from 36.5° to 50.3° – the largest arm slot shift of any returning pitcher – and he’s added a brand-new cutter (19.7% usage) while overhauling his entire pitch mix.
The slider-heavy approach from 2025 is gone. In its place is a four-pitch mix centered around the fastball, slider, changeup, and the new cutter, which is generating a team-best 36.0% whiff rate. The higher arm angle has also reshaped his fastball: IVB jumped from 15.4” to 18.6”, giving the heater significantly more ride. His overall whiff rate climbed from 23.6% to 30.1%, while K% (22.9%) and BB% (8.6%) have held steady. The early returns suggest this is a carefully planned mechanical and arsenal overhaul rather than just tinkering.
9. Jack Kochanowicz
What changed: Kochanowicz has more than doubled his changeup usage and tweaked its movement, turning a fringe offering into his primary swing-and-miss pitch.
His arm angle also shifted +7.3° (29.9° → 37.2°), which may explain the changeup’s improved movement – the horizontal break increased from -9.2” to -10.8” while the IVB dropped from 2.5” to 0.7”, giving it more drop-and-fade action. The changeup’s whiff rate nearly doubled from 29.4% to 48.8%, and his slider has seen a similar spike (26.9% → 46.2%). K% improved from 13.6% to 19.8%, though walks remain high (10.6% → 13.6%). The changeup turning into an elite put-away pitch gives him a realistic path to sticking in a rotation.
10. Slade Cecconi
What changed: Cecconi’s cutter usage went from a token 2.9% in 2025 to a primary offering at 22.7% in 2026, replacing his slider as the go-to breaking ball.
Cecconi has essentially killed his traditional slider and replaced it with a cutter/sweeper combination – the cutter handles same-side hitters while the sweeper attacks opposite-side bats. The curveball’s whiff rate climbed from 31.8% to 38.7%, suggesting the cutter tunnels better off the heater than the old slider did. His four-seam whiff rate also jumped (18.5% → 24.1%). While K% is roughly flat (20.2% → 19.3%) and walks have ticked up (5.8% → 8.4%), the improved whiff numbers across the board suggest the results should catch up. The more diversified breaking ball portfolio gives him answers for different matchups that the slider alone couldn’t provide.
Biggest decreases in average fastball velo, 2025➡️2026:
Luis Garcia: 96.9➡️94.0 (-2.8)
Johan Oviedo: 95.4➡️92.7 (-2.7)
Anthony Banda: 95.8➡️93.2 (-2.7)
Sean Manaea: 91.7➡️89.1 (-2.7)
Jeremiah Estrada: 97.8➡️95.3 (-2.6)
Taylor Rogers: 92.7➡️90.4 (-2.3)
Bryan Abreu: 97.3➡️95.0 (-2.3)
Tony Santillan: 96.2➡️94.0 (-2.2)
Jhoan Duran: 100.5➡️98.4 (-2.2)
Michael McGreevy: 92.4➡️90.3 (-2.0)
Biggest increases to average fastball velo, 2025➡️2026:
Dustin May: 94.8➡️96.7 (+1.9)
Kai-Wei Teng: 93.1➡️94.9 (+1.8)
Antonio Senzatela: 94.9➡️96.7 (+1.8)
Hogan Harris: 93.5➡️95.2 (+1.7)
Kodai Senga: 93.7➡️95.4 (+1.7)
Jonathan Bowlan: 95.7➡️97.4 (+1.6)
Randy Vasquez: 93.3➡️95.0 (+1.6)
Kyle Hart: 91.3➡️92.9 (+1.6)
Connor Seabold: 92.2➡️93.8 (+1.5)
Adrian Morejon: 97.7➡️99.1 (+1.5)
Sandy Alcantara was DOMINANT for the @Marlins today, throwing the first CG shutout of the season on only 93 pitches
Alcantara has thrown 16 innings in his first two starts while allowing just 1 unearned run, a WHIP of 0.56, and has racked up 12 strikeouts
#FightinFish
