Last year, the Yankees dealt two legitimately interesting prospects, Roc Riggio and Ben Shields, to get reliever Jake Bird from the Colorado Rockies at the Trade Deadline. Their experiment wasn\u2019t successful, at least in 2025, as he posted a 27.00 ERA in a couple of innings with the team before being optioned to Triple-A, where he also struggled to the tune of a 6.32 ERA in 15.2 frames.<\/p>\n
It was an ugly initial showing for Bird, but the bright side was that the Yankees knew they had three years of team control remaining on the righty, whose tantalizing pitches helped him fan 62 batters in 54.1 innings for Colorado prior to the trade. This offseason, Bird effectively hit the reset button as he turned 30, worked on his stuff, and resurfaced with New York in February, ready to turn the page and make his mark on a new year with his new team. He had no guarantee to make the team, but he earned his Opening Day spot in the 2026 bullpen.<\/p>\n
After a fine spring that included a 2.70 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 10 innings, Bird has pitched 3.1 scoreless frames to open the campaign, with three punchouts, no walks, and just one hit allowed. The sample is still, of course, quite tiny, but it\u2019s plain to see that he looks confident and in control on the mound. Last year, let\u2019s just say that wasn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s behind Bird\u2019s early success? Why is he looking so much better this year than last? Well, he made some key adjustments in his repertoire and pitch mix, and they are paying off.<\/p>\n
In 2025, Bird\u2019s most frequently used offering was the sweeper, which he threw 40.5 percent of the time. The sinker, at 33.6 percent, was his second most frequently used pitch, and the curveball checked in at third with 22.7 percent. He also threw a cutter (2.5 percent of the time) and a four-seamer (0.6 percent) to complement his arsenal.<\/p>\n
Again, it\u2019s still too soon to conclude that the pitch mix he has used in 2026 will stick, because he has only faced 11 hitters, but Bird and the Yankees completely overhauled the way he uses his pitches.<\/p>\n
This time around, Bird is prioritizing the sinker, throwing it 56.4 percent of the time. He is also getting amazing results with it: a .119 xwOBA and 30-percent whiff rate from 22 offerings, amazing for the pitch type in question, but almost certainly unsustainable once the sample grows. Nonetheless, the progress is quite apparent.<\/p>\n