Ryan Weathers Adjusts Pitching Approach with Yankees
SEATTLE — Ryan Weathers is changing his throwing habits to improve his performance.
On Monday night, the left-handed pitcher will take the mound for the Yankees, testing out this new strategy during the regular season.
Weathers, making his Yankees debut against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park, has always been seen as talented, yet he has faced frequent stints on the disabled list throughout his career.
After the Yankees picked him up from the Marlins in January, adjustments were made to both his pitching style and regimen. The aim is to lighten the load between starts, which means reducing the number of pitches and the distance he throws.
According to pitching coach Matt Blake, “Some of our power throwers like to throw a lot, and I think we’re trying to figure out how to adjust our pitching program a bit. Sometimes, it’s important to take a breather. That doesn’t have to mean cutting back on your training but rather giving yourself a chance to recover and improve.”
While Weathers still engages in long toss on days he has bullpen sessions, he primarily uses it for warming up before games. Now, he generally doesn’t throw farther than 90 feet when practicing.
As an example, on Saturday at Oracle Park, he threw 41 pitches in the flat followed by a 25-pitch bullpen session, totaling 66 pitches. Previously, his bullpen days would see him throwing between 80 and 100 pitches.
Weathers has shown a positive attitude towards these changes since joining the Yankees, though it took some adjusting. “It felt strange at first because I love to throw,” he remarked on Saturday. “But now it’s like second nature. We have some internal data that guides our pitching direction. Everything feels good right now, and we need to keep that up.”
He added, “I’m throwing the most powerful pitch I’ve ever thrown.” In a recent outing against the Cubs, he hit 161 mph in the third inning, saying, “That’s uncharted territory for me,” pointing out he reached 98.5 mph on his 76th of 80 pitches.
“It’s genuinely encouraging to see how healthy my arm feels so quickly,” he noted.
Yet, as much as staying healthy is important, results are what truly count now. While Weathers had a solid spring with only one run allowed across 8⅓ innings, his three starts showed a different story with 16 earned runs on 22 hits, 3 walks, and 2 hit batters.
Both Weathers and the Yankees believe that some of the struggles were merely bad luck, as his .434 batting average on balls in play suggests, yet the underlying metrics are more promising.
Now, the spotlight is on Weathers to deliver, especially after his teammates Max Fried, Cam Schlitler, and Will Warren set a strong tone for the rotation by allowing just one run in 16 innings in their season-opening series against the Giants.
“I’m very excited,” Weathers expressed, noting that his father plans to attend the game on Monday. “Spring training was fun as a Yankee, but I can’t wait to experience it all year.”
He continued, “Wearing this logo fills me with pride and motivates me to contribute positively for the team and the organization. I’m eager to hear my number called and to go out there and pitch.”
