Changeup Pitch Design : Creating a Weapon

From amateur to professional baseball, off-speed pitch design has become a primary point of emphasis when developing pitchers especially with the huge rise in fastball velocity across the board. 

Changeups are classified by some of the following characteristics:

• Fastball Arm Speed

• Velocity differential from primary fastball of 7-10 mph depending on pitcher

• Reduction or “Kill” of vertical lift

• Lower Spin Rate than primary fastball

• Multiplanar pitch movement (Vertical + Horizontal)

With that in mind, the primary goal of a changeup is to disrupt the hitters timing by creating the “fastball illusion”, in other words, making a changeup look like a fastball as much and for as long as humanly possible. 

Changeup Grips

Predominantly, changeup grip selection is chosen based on primary fastball grip, whether that be four or two seam. The reasoning behind this concept leads back to the primary goal of a changeup, creating a “fastball illusion”. This is not an absolute by any means, spin direction or axis directly influences pitch movement and can be altered on an individual basis based on countless variables such as arm slot, other pitches in arsenal, and desired movement of the pitch in itself. 

For example, I threw competitively from a low ¾ arm slot, resulting in inches of horizontal break or “arm side run”; through trial and error during my career I developed a circle changeup with a two seam grip.

Below is an overlay of a 94 mph fastball and a 85 mph changeup (not the best two pitches to overlay but watch the ball flight of both). Without pitch tracking technology, overlays were not featured or popular at this time, the eye test and video analysis were the primary methods of pitch design to determine pitch characteristics.

Choosing between changeup grips is truly a process of trial and error when creating a new or existing pitch, “feel” is a huge component during the process due to the addition or subtraction of fingers on various sides of the baseball with varying pressure on each. 

Here are some examples of various changeup grips with pictures:

Using Rapsodo in Pitch Design

Changeups are difficult to define as far as what “ideal” is when it comes to specific metrics due to the fact that it is truly unique to the individual, in short, there is no one way to design a changeup.

We know for a fact that changeups have a lower spin rate and lower velocity than a fastball, and spin efficiency can vary when it comes to the type of changeup.

Here is a 2 Seam Fastball & Changeup Rapsodo data set from Sophomore RHP Matt Goehrig from this preseason:

Now, in terms of “pitch tunneling” these two pitches pair extremely well because of a few characteristics:

• +/- 7 mph velocity differential
• Lower Spin Rate & True Spin
• Similar Spin Axis between 1:00 & 1:30
• -3.0 in of Vertical Lift differential compared to Fastball
• Similar Horizontal Break @ .6 in differential

Keep in mind, the pitches in the overlay above are not pitches featured in the data set, but you may notice in the video how long both pitches hold trajectory before separation.

Here is an overlay of a 2 Seam Fastball & Changeup Overlay from Junior RHP Arik Sypher from this preseason:

In this example of data pairing, we see the pitch velocity decrease yet the pitch spin rate is minimally affected? Yet, we see the spin axis change almost an hour, that directly influences in change of vertical lift and horizontal break.

The best part about pitch design is the ability to constantly change variables creating different results from pitch to pitch, learning from the data and trying again. Messing with finger pressure, grip, intensity, and thumb placement are all contributing tools in designing a weapon on the field.

Especially in amateur baseball, a changeup can become a primary off-speed offering and a weapon before a breaking pitch is even introduced. Coaches, play to a pitchers strengths and develop an arsenal primed for success.