Kansas City Royals Starter Working On New Pitch This Spring

Something needed to change.

Kansas City Royals starter Brad Keller is taking a proactive approach to improving his pitching as he competes for a spot in the rotation during spring training.

Keller has struggled with high ERAs over the past two seasons and ended 2022 in a relief role.

In an effort to turn things around, he worked with Driveline during the offseason to add speed differential to his pitches and adjust his mechanics, including adding more of a sweeping motion to his slider. Most notably, he worked on developing a new curveball, something he's never thrown in games before.

Super Excited for Brad Keller!

Here's a look at those new breaking balls at moderate intensity...

Both pitches project as plus-offerings at in-game velocity...

CB ⬇️= Vertical offering for lefties.
Sweeper🧹⬅️ = Geared towards hunting righties.

🧵 https://t.co/6eKAga2EFy pic.twitter.com/1gOI2Mao7m

— Chris Langin (@LanginTots13) February 23, 2023

Keller recognizes that he needed to venture out of his comfort zone to get better and is happy with what he landed on.

The competition from veterans and prospects alike makes a return to a starting role challenging, but the addition of a new pitch could give him a new look to test hitters and produce a bounce-back campaign.

Over the last two seasons, the twenty-seven-year-old has compiled a 5.24 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, with 222 strikeouts across 273.1 innings and 61 appearances, posting a 14-26 record.

However, prior to the 2021 season, Keller held a solid 3.50 ERA over the first three seasons of his career, so he's no stranger to success.

It will be worth keeping a close eye on Keller's performance this spring to see if his hard work pays off. Photo Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports