Recently Acquired Baltimore Orioles Starter Reveals New Pitch

Every good MLB starting pitcher tends to have a wide arsenal of pitches, as it keeps hitters guessing and off balance. Every starter is always trying to refine their pitches, and tweak their delivery. 

However, it's never too late for pitchers to add brand new pitches, as we've seen multiple pitchers develop new ones in the middle of their careers. Decades ago, mostly every pitcher would have the same pitch mix consisting of a fastball, curveball and changeup. Now, there are over 20 different versions of pitches, giving pitchers the ability to craft their arsenal however they'd like. 

One pitcher that has refined his arsenal this offseason is Shane Baz from the Baltimore Orioles, who has reportedly added a two-seam fastball to his already diverse pitch mix. 

On March 18, 2026, Andy Kostka from The Baltimore Banner reported that Baz has added a brand new two-seam fastball to his arsenal. Baz shared that he likes the control and how he locates the pitch against right handed batters, especially on the inside. 

Kostka also noted that the movement of Baz's two-seam isn't "extreme" yet, but that he plans on keeping it in his back pocket and will occasionally use it in games. 

Baz has only thrown his new pitch a total of five times during spring training, but has already flashed why it could be a legitimate weapon for him.

Baz's average velocity this spring on his two-seam is 95 MPH, which is a 1.2 MPH decrease from his four-seam fastball. With that being said, Baz's velocity is expected to significantly rise when the regular season starts. 

Additionally, Baz's two-seam has 13.2" of horizontal break, 14.2" of vertical break, and a spin rate of 2,271, displaying solid movement and run on the pitch. Out of the five two-seams Baz has thrown in spring training, four of them were in the zone, which is encouraging stuff for a pitcher who has struggled with control throughout his career.

Baz's 2026 spring training campaign has been solid, as he's posted a 5.06 ERA, 1.13 WHIP with nine strikeouts in 5.1 innings (two games started), but what's been the most encouraging is his per nine stats. 

Baz has posted a 3.4 H/9, 0.0 HR/9, and a 15.2 K/9 (which is ridiculous). The one downside of Baz's spring has been his issue with allowing walks, where he has a 6.8 BB/9.

If Baz can fix his control, he is a legitimate top of the rotation arm for any contending team, and him adding a new pitch further amplifies that.