Joe Ryan's trouble with the slider sent Twins pitcher on quest for improvement

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Joe Ryan stood atop the mound in Hammond Stadium, nodded at catcher Christian Vazquez, wound up and threw what at first appeared to be a two-strike fastball during Monday's game-speed workout. Kyle Farmer took the bait and swung, but as the pitch approached the plate, it spun inside and struck the infielder on his forearm.

"Still counts as a K," Ryan crowed later about the strikeout. "It was fun."

It was fun because it was new. Ryan, one of the most fastball-reliant pitchers in the majors, has come to camp armed with a new and seemingly improved version of his slider, plus a new split-finger pitch to serve as his changeup. The increased arsenal, wielded by a pitcher who was already one of the Twins' most consistent starters, had his manager enthusiastic on the first day of full-squad workouts.

"Joe's slider, to me, really stood out. I'd call it a new pitch. He may call it the same pitch and a different version of it. But that's really exciting," Rocco Baldelli said. Adding a pitch "has been an ongoing conversation. … I think he's found something he really likes."

He's pretty sure he'll like having more options, especially if the slider's effectiveness can approach his fastball's. Hitters batted only .174 against Ryan's fastball last season, which is why he threw it 60.1% of the time, fourth-most frequently in the majors by pitchers who threw at least 1,500 pitches last year. (Ryan threw 2,391.)

But his work-in-progress slider? Ryan rolled his eyes at the thought.

"Giving up probably 30 extra runs on sliders is usually good [motivation] to maybe make an adjustment," Ryan said. "Having your slider just be 84-mph four-seam fastballs, and [bounce off the] fence is not super fun."

Indeed, though he threw the slider just 20% of the time, hitters clobbered it, batting .245 with a whopping .497 slugging percentage. He gave up eight homers and 10 doubles with the slider; against the fastball, it was nine homers and 10 doubles, despite throwing it three times as often.

Which is why Ryan tinkered with the pitch in September, when he ended the season by starting four consecutive Twins victories, posting a 1.09 ERA in them. And it's why he spent the offseason revamping his grip and his mechanics on the pitch, even visiting the Driveline baseball performance center just outside Seattle to measure his progress.

"A couple of us went up there at the end of the offseason and put the whole package together. It was good to see what the possibilities were," and how the various grips and throwing style affected the pitch, the 26-year-old righthander said. "I've got just a little bit more natural feeling to throw it, trying to manipulate it a little more. This one I can just throw and then just confidently move it pretty well."

Same with the splitter, though he was hesitant at first to try such a wide grip and stressful rotation. But he found a grip that feels comfortable and produces significant downward break, so it will replace his more traditional, and not particularly effective, changeup.

The new pitches got him through a couple of practice innings unscathed Monday, despite facing Farmer, Carlos Correa, Jose Miranda and Jorge Polanco.

Ryan, whose 13 wins, 151 strikeouts and 147 innings pitched each led the Twins during his rookie season, figures the two new pitches can make him an even more consistent starter — as he's always planned for himself.

"I expect to do well. … That's kind of my baseline mentality," he said. "A good start is just how the day was supposed to go. A bad start feels like you got a couple of tickets, and someone slashed your tires and stole your car."