Of the 30 pitches Yankees right-hander A.J. Burnett threw in his first live batting practice session on Monday, at least a dozen of them were changeups.Joe Girardi also spoke about the changeups Burnett threw today:
Indeed, it was the latest sign that Burnett may be serious about adding a more reliable changeup to his repertoire.
"It's going to be a big pitch I think," said Burnett, who threw to catcher Jorge Posada. "Jorge and I talk more about when to use it, when not to use it. It's going to be key, especially on those days when the hook isn't working."
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"Everything was good today," Burnett said of batting practice. "Everything was on line. Nothing ran, nothing cut, so it was a good day."
"He threw some good ones," Girardi said. "It had some depth to it, it had some run to it."Girardi also mentioned that he and Dave Eiland spoke with Burnett after the season and told him to work on the pitch.
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"When you see teams in your division 18 times, it's nice to be able to give them different looks," Girardi said.
It's clear to me that the Yankees and Burnett really want to utilize that pitch. Last week, I said that the pitch could be a major weapon for Burnett if it didn't take away from his other pitches, and I was hoping this extra work would pay off. It's also important that he not only improves the pitch, but gains the confidence needed to actually throw it.
His confidence in the pitch has clearly already grown. Last week he said, "I think it's a big key. Whether I throw it or not, I don't know. But I've been working it." He isn't even sure he's going to throw it. Somewhat different from today when he said, "It's going to be a big pitch I think." He went from wondering if he was going to throw it, to knowing he's going to throw it. Or at least sounding like he knows he's going to throw it. Doing it is another story, but at least he's headed in the right direction.
If the changeup becomes a weapon for Burnett, expect big things.
