Going into spring training this year, the Phillies approached righthander Saul Teran about simplifying his arsenal.
The 23-year-old reliever ended up eliminating his cutter and changeup, which has allowed him to hone in on his most effective pitches: his four-seam fastball, sinker and slider.
The alternation has paid off. Teran has become a trusted bullpen arm for Low-A Clearwater and could be on the rise soon.
Through 15 relief appearances this season, Teran had 31 strikeouts to just three walks in 18 innings. He had allowed two earned runs and had four saves.
“He had such a wide variety of pitches, and can’t really throw them in the zone,” Phillies director of pitching development Travis Hergert said. “Can’t command them. So let’s go to the weapons that we can . . .
“Let’s really hone in on that, and master those things. Then as we move up and as we start facing better hitters, if we feel we need to bring back a pitch, we can.”
After pitching just 25 innings in Low-A last season because of injury, Teran has worked closely this season with Threshers pitching coaches Gustavo Armas and Tyler Higgins on developing a better recovery routine.
“He’s dedicated a lot of time to arm care, his physicality, his physical development,” Hergert said.
In addition to helping Teran stay healthy, that focus has contributed to a velocity jump. In previous seasons, his fastball sat 90-92 mph, but this year Teran has been able to reliably sustain 93-95.
The Phillies signed Teran in 2021 out of Venezuela. The uptick in velocity and his ability to command his more refined arsenal has helped him take things to another level this year.
“The biggest thing for him is just holding the strike zone, continuing to pound the strike zone with his best stuff,” Hergert said. “And I think we’re looking at a promotion here in due time, if he can continue to hold those things.”