MESA, Ariz. – Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon said he’s waiting until Wednesday to check his velocity in his first Cactus League game of the year.
“I don’t think it was anything crazy,” he said. “But it felt good. I think the fastball shape was really good and crisp, and then we’ll see where we’re at.”
He’ll find that his fastball was coming in at about 92 mph Tuesday against the Diamondbacks. He threw two innings, and the one run he allowed came on a solo shot. He gave up one other hit.
Taillon put together a great 2024 season by most measures. He had a good ERA (3.27). And even after hurting his back in spring training and beginning the season on the injured list, he made 28 starts and threw over 165 innings.
His velocity, however, was down – a trend he’ll work to reverse this season. All last year, he balanced trying to address the issue while also not wanting to chase velocity at the expense of the other things that were making him successful.
New Cubs catcher Carson Kelly, who was behind the plate Tuesday and homered in the 4-2 win, wasn’t surprised Taillon was able to navigate those competing factors.
“That’s what he does so well, is if something might be just a little bit off or something that he doesn’t ideally want, he’s able to make the adjustment and still get a result,” Kelly said in a conversation with the Sun-Times. “And that’s just a veteran guy that knows what he needs to do. So I think he’s really bought into that, and I think that he’s become really good at making those misses smaller and making those adjustments quicker.”
When Taillon dug into the root of the problem this offseason, several areas of potential improvement jumped out. He dug into the biomechanics of his delivery and how much force he’s putting into the ground. But he also dove into his workload and his strength and conditioning in between starts.
“It’s not like one thing jumped off the page,” he said. “But it was like, for example, I thought I throw in the middle too much. I play catch hard, but not super hard. But then I don’t have enough light days. So now, we’re making a point of, on certain days to push it and certain days to really go lighter and let the body recover.”
His weight lifting routine went through a similar reimagining. He’s working on lifting heavy some days and focusing on recovery other days.
The goal isn’t to make him a power pitcher but rather to maintain his strengths.
“Not relying totally on cunning and guile to excel because that should always be there,” manager Craig Counsell said. “That shouldn’t go in a slump, so to speak. But you’ve got to preserve the rest of it, otherwise at some point it’s not enough. So that’s kind of Jamo’s mission. And the self awareness to understand that is the cool part and the important part for Jamo.”
Taillon’s fastball velocity has declined the last two years, from an average of 94.1 mph in 2022, to 93.7, to 92.3.
“I just think it can make your life a little easier,” Taillon said of velocity. “I can still get outs at any velocity. But having a little extra in the tank could be what it takes to get something by a guy; or make a swing decision a little tougher; make them have to get their swing started a little earlier, and that can make your offspeed even better.”
The adrenaline that comes with the stakes and atmosphere of a regular season game often gives pitchers a little extra velocity, compared to spring training. So, Taillon on Tuesday about matching his velocity last year seems like a good starting point.