Charlie Morton might be gone, but his influence might remain on the Atlanta Braves roster for years. In an interview with Rob Friedman (aka Pitching Ninja), Spencer Schwellenbach showed off his pitches and revealed one alternation he made during the season.
While the Braves rookie had an outstanding season, this small modification influenced by Morton might have completely changed how Schwellenbach pitches.
What Spencer Schwellenbach learned from Charlie Morton to Improve his Curveball. pic.twitter.com/6YRTdSL95F
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) January 9, 2025
How Charlie Morton helped Spencer Schwellenbach unlock his curveball
From his very first MLB start, Spencer Schwellenbach looked like he belonged in the bigs. While his 5.68 ERA through his first month of MLB action looked less than stellar, he had a decent 4.02 FIP, likely indicating he was getting a little unlucky.
Of course, once July came, Schwellenbach found another gear, suddenly becoming one of the best starters in baseball. He had the ninth-highest fWAR and 10th-best ERA among starters after July 1st. Without the rookie, there's a decent chance the Braves don't even make the playoffs. His first season was so impressive he was rewarded with a nice bonus from MLB.
However, as the 24-year-old revealed on the latest Pitching Ninja video, his breakout season wasn't without some tinkering and some help from the vets on the staff.
According to Schwellenbach, Morton analyzed the young righty's curve and questioned whether it could get good movement out of the pitch. He offered a different pitch grip to help improve the youngster's feel of the pitch.
While he doesn't state when this conversation took place, there was clearly a shift in the righty's curve. When he first came up, his curve averaged just a tick below 80 MPH (76.9 MPH in May and 79.6 in June). Batters hit .250 against the curve, as well.
After July, however, his curveball velocity gradually increased, peaking at 81.7 MPH. Batters averages dropped to .220, although he did allow his only two homers off the pitch in August.
While talking to Friedman, Schwellenbach notes that he's still trying to get to the point where he can feel the spin better, but stated that he feels more comfortable with the current grip. By Baseball Savant's Run Value, it was already his third-best pitch, but if he can continue to tweak and improve the pitch, it could be another deadly piece in his already outstanding arsenal.