More On Tylor Megill

 

Tylor Megill

Sometimes less is more. Tylor Megill exhibited that to a tee yesterday as he effectively sliced his arsenal in half, trimming down his wide array of offerings to just 3 as he leaned on his 4-Seam, sinker, and slider enroute a strong start against Houston.

Yesterday, we saw a stripped back version of Megill. His fastball usage stayed steady at ~50%, while his slider and sinker filled in the most of the remaining usage. This was a notable change because last season you could witness a Tylor Megill start in which he tossed upwards of 8 pitches. While it was a sight to behold, he showed a lot of inconsistencies with his arsenal as he struggled to hit his spots.

With a simpler arsenal, Megill focused on refining his pitch shapes. His fastball exhibited more ride and had tighter movement clustering, boosting its tjStuff+ grade for 104 to 113. His slider drastically changed as it transformed into a “death ball” shape with more drop while maintaining its limited horizontal movement. This version of his slider looks the like the best he has ever thrown before!

Megill has always been a stuff darling. His elite extension (+7.0 ft) and seemingly never-ending arsenal always oozed potential. This simpler version of Megill may not be as eye-catching, but he looked really good. He is an arm to keep an eye on as the season progresses.