SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. —Trevor Hoffman threw it so effectively, hitters took to calling it “Bugs Bunny” because of the cartoonish swings it induced. Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux refers to it as the “almighty equalizer.” When Rockies left-hander Jorge De La Rosa throws one, it comes out of his hand looking like a 92 mph fastball and arrives at the plate a befuddling 8 mph slower.
“It’s like a puff cloud, and guys swing right through it,” said Rockies catcher Michael McKenry.
Mastering the changeup has helped make De La Rosa the winningest pitcher in Coors Field history. More and more it’s becoming an essential part of the Rockies’ pitching philosophy, because of the influence of first-year general manager Jeff Bridich, manager Walt Weiss and first-year pitching coach Steve Foster.
“It’s a point of emphasis throughout our organization,” Weiss said. “My philosophy is that you have to be able to get hitters out with your fastball, and the changeup is the perfect complement to that. Most guys come up to the plate hunting for a fastball, so anytime you can throw a pitch that looks like a fastball but isn’t, it’s a great pitch.”
That’s not the only reason the Rockies have embraced the changeup. Ever since the club’s inception in 1993, team leaders have been searching for ways to counter the challenge of pitching in Denver’s mile-high altitude. Namely, how do you fool hitters when the ball doesn’t break as much in thin air as it does at sea level? And how do you save wear and tear on pitchers’ shoulders and elbows playing half your games in Major League Baseball’s best park for hitters?
“There is no question that air matters with pitching,” Foster said. “The rotational break of the slider and curveball aren’t the same in lighter air. It’s just not. So, what is the next secondary pitch? The changeup.”
“It’s critically important”
De La Rosa, who went 10-2 with a 3.08 ERA at Coors Field last season, has the best changeup on the staff. McKenry calls it a “wipeout” pitch because De La Rosa can throw it on any count and get strikeouts.
“It’s the best pitch in baseball after the fastball,” De La Rosa said. “Guys know it’s coming but I still get strikeouts with it, and I use it to get groundballs.”
De La Rosa actually throws a “split-change,” a radical variation of the traditional “circle” change used by most pitchers. His teammates call the pitch “Mr. Spock,” because in baseball lingo his split-change is known as a Vulcan or Trekkie.
Much as with a forkball, De La Rosa grips the Vulcan between two fingers on his left hand, and the baseball sits between his middle and ring fingers to make a V shape — a Vulcan salute — as it’s released. De La Rosa throws his changeup with fastball-like arm speed to create deception, but he turns his thumb down to get good downward movement on the ball.
Next to his fastball, it’s De La Rosa’s biggest weapon and one he began to use much more starting in 2012 after returning from Tommy John surgery, after which he all but ditched his slider. A season ago he threw his changeup on 26.2 percent of his pitches, more than six times as often as his slider or curveball.
“It’s not that sliders and curves can’t be thrown at altitude in Denver, because they can,” Foster said. “But it requires more force in order to do it. So it’s critically important for our team that guys have an above-average changeup.”
That’s why youngsters Tyler Matzek and Eddie Butler are working on improving their effectiveness with the pitch. Being able to do so is considered essential to their future success with the Rockies.
“I’ve been throwing the changeup since I was 9 because my pitching coach wouldn’t let me throw a curveball or a slider. He wanted me to wait until I was older and stronger,” said Butler, who has an outside shot to make the Rockies’ starting rotation coming out of spring training.
“Best pitch in baseball”
Butler has shown he can be effective with a changeup, but not nearly with the efficiency De La Rosa shows. “It’s not a go-to pitch for Eddie yet, because on some days there is not enough difference in (velocity) between his fastball and change,” McKenry said.
Matzek, who began concentrating on his changeup last year when he was pitching in Triple-A, faces the same challenge.
“De La Rosa has a strikeout changeup, but mine is not even close to that,” Matzek said. “I hope to get it there one day. I’m working on trusting the pitch and being able to use it smart, so I’m not just throwing it up there.”
Matzek, a lefty, throws a changeup that tends to move down and away from right-handed batters — which can be effective when he’s trying to get a groundball out.
With the exception of De La Rosa, the Rockies’ pitchers all throw a “circle” change or a variation of it. It’s called a circle change because the pitcher holds the baseball with his thumb curling to his index finger, forming a circle. The three remaining fingers — middle, ring and pinkie — rest on top of the baseball.
“It seems like a simple pitch, but it’s a feel pitch and it takes practice,” Matzek said. “You don’t use your power fingers (index and middle) as much as you do your ring and pinkie fingers. That’s what takes the velocity off the ball.”
While the concept of throwing a changeup is simple — fool hitters who are guessing that pure heat is coming but get cotton candy instead — mastering a changeup is difficult.
“The ball must leave the hand looking like a fastball, and the arm speed has to be the same,” McKenry said. “If you can do that consistently, it’s the best pitch in baseball.”
Change of pace
Most of the Rockies’ pitchers throw a changeup in some form. Here are four of the best:
LHP Jorge De La Rosa
According to Fangraphs, the lefty’s changeup — actually a diabolical split-finger change — was rated fourth in the major leagues in 2014, trailing only Felix Hernandez, Alex Cobb and Cole Hamels.
RHP Tommy Kahnle
When he is on his game, the Rule 5 draft pickup throws a mean change. “Guys think it’s a fastball and they swing, even when it ends up being a 55-foot pitch,” catcher Michael McKenry says.
RHP David Hale
The former Braves pitcher throws his fastball at about 91 mph and his changeup at about 80 mph. That huge disparity makes it a tough pitch to hit.
RHP Eddie Butler
He has been throwing a changeup since he was 9 years old, and it’s a good pitch, but sometimes he throws it with too much velocity.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
