Spring training is a time to experiment, especially for pitchers. It’s a good opportunity to try a new pitch or grip as they try to keep hitters off balance.

It’s not uncommon for a pitcher to add a new pitch to his repertoire during spring training. Adding three new pitches, however, is almost unheard of.

Advertisement

That’s what Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Hunter Barco is doing. He’s completely overhauled his arsenal this spring, adding a sweeper, changeup and sinker.

In his article for The Athletic on Friday (subscription required), MLB analyst Eno Sarris broke down Barco’s trio of new offerings.

“New is the sweeper. It may not get the most sweep out there (only 10 inches), but that’s eight inches more than his other slider and definitively a different look. Even after the Stuff+ revision tamped down the numbers on sweepers, it’s a pitch that does well in that model.

“New is the changeup. Barco already threw a splitter, but this new changeup has 13 more inches of fade than his split-finger and hums along a couple ticks harder. The newest trend in baseball might just be pitchers with multiple changeups. Credit Paul Skenes.

Advertisement

“New is the sinker. This one might not make it to Opening Day because it’s being hit pretty hard right now and Stuff+ doesn’t love it. Regardless, having multiple fastballs is still a good trick to pull, so even if he ramps down the usage during the regular season, it’ll be a good wrinkle.”

Barco made his MLB debut last year, throwing three scoreless innings across two relief appearances. He’s pitched well in spring training so far with a 3.68 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings, so his new pitch mix seems to be effective.

If the 25-year-old lefty keeps it up, Sarris expects him to claim the fifth spot in Pittsburgh’s rotation and break out in his first full season.

“Barco seems very likely to take the fifth starter job in Pittsburgh and run with it,” Sarris concluded.

Advertisement

More Pirates: Ex-Pirates Manager Happy For Pittsburgh Fans After Exciting Offseason

The post Pirates Rookie Showcasing Completely New Arsenal In Spring Training appeared first on SportsNet Pittsburgh.