Bollinger: Fastball Command at the Focus of First Workout

[Parker Hageman]

The Minnesota Twins' first workout comes with a bullpen session that emphasizes throwing strikes with their fastballs. According to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger, Allen has kicked off a new program to attempt to improve in that area: 

 

Before Twins pitchers threw their bullpens on the first day of workouts, pitching coach Neil Allen gathered his players to explain a renewed emphasis on fastball command this spring.

 

As a result, Twins pitchers had to throw three of their five fastballs to the glove side for strikes before moving on to throwing three out of five for strikes to the arm side. If they failed, they had to start over again, and pitchers couldn't throw their offspeed stuff until completing the drill.

 

 

Last October,Allen was fairly insistent that the Twins pitchers system-wide needed to improve their fastball skills. 

 

“From rookie ball up, we’re going to have it,” Allen told the Pioneer Press's Mike Berardino last season. “You just have to do the work. For instance, on a side day, you’re going to throw four-seam fastballs. I’ve got all kinds of numbers in there, written up, how I want sides thrown. You won’t go to your offspeed until you throw fastballs for strikes.”

 

While command has been an issue, velocity has been an on-going problem as well. Per BaseballSavant.com, the Twins' average velocity on four- and two-seam fastballs 92.39 MPH, the fifth lowest in the league. Not surprising, the team's swinging strike percentage on fastballs is the third lowest with just 2.78 percent of fastball thrown missing bats.