Jameson Taillon Continues To Master Left-Handed Hitters By Mastering His Kick Change

Back in April, I wrote about Jameson Taillon’s kick change, and how it was looking like it was going to be a game-changer for the veteran right-hander in his age-33 season for the Chicago Cubs.

At the time, he had just a 6.06 ERA through his first three starts, and was throwing the changeup a meager 5.8 percent of the time. It was clear he wasn’t fully comfortable with the new pitch just yet, but still, he was getting very positive results the few times he was using it, and based on the pitch movement metrics, it was clear that the changeup was different than the one he was throwing in previous seasons.  

I jotted down when I published that article back in April to follow up on Taillon and his changeup usage later on in the season. Would he continue using it? Would he continue getting such positive results with it? You may already know this if you’ve been paying close attention, but the answer to both of those questions is a loud and resounding yes. 

If we use the incredibly arbitrary cut off point of Taillon’s May 20 start in Miami, the changeup is now his second most used pitch: it’s been thrown 17.4 percent of the time since then, barely edging out his slider and curveball. He exclusively utilizes it against left-handed hitters, so the heavier usage of late could be due to him facing more lefties, however, it’s clear he’s now much more comfortable throwing his new changeup. 

It’s hard to argue with the results. According to Baseball Savant, hitters have hit just .195 against Taillon’s changeup. Batters have missed on 38.1 percent of swings they have taken on the pitch, which is the best among all of his pitches. 

This has allowed the Florida native to neutralize left-handed hitters in a way we just haven’t seen since he has joined the North Siders. As you might recall, an inability to get lefties out was a big reason why he struggled so much in his first season in blue, and while he was better last season, he still wasn’t great at it. All stats courtesy of Fangraphs:

This is a huge reason for the incredibly successful season that Jameson Taillon is having to this point. From our arbitrary starting point of May 20 and onward, he has a 1.91 ERA, and the Cubs have won all five games that he has pitched. He's been a consistent, quality start machine all year, and his newfound success against opposite-handed hitters is a big reason why.

In case you need any more convincing, enjoy this clip of Taillon striking out Riley Greene with his new toy.