The Evolution of Alex Vesia: Dodgers Reliever Adds Changeup to Arsenal, Strikes Fear into the Heart of Hitters

Alex Vesia has been one of the most effective options in the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen since joining the team via trade with the Miami Marlins prior to the 2021 season.

In his time with the Dodgers, Vesia has posted a career 2.89 ERA and 289 strikeouts in 214.2 innings. However, he’s also had some rough stretches and struggled in particular during parts of 2023, which called into question the left-handed options in the Dodgers bullpen.

But Vesia quickly silenced those concerns and bounced back in a big way this year. He was extremely dominant during the regular season and was nearly perfect in the postseason.

During an appearance on “Foul Territory,” Veisa said he wants to add another pitch to his arsenal.

“This offseason I would love to implement a changeup. I get so wrist happy. When I throw a baseball, I don’t know for a fact, but I’m guessing when I throw the ball … I tuck my thumb big-time underneath the baseball. It’s gone. Most people, when you see them grip it, their thumb is all the way around it. Where I’m all the way underneath, so there’s a little bit of give, which is why I think it kind of kicks and has that vert.

“Now with a changeup, I’m throwing it underneath and throwing changeups with like a 19 vert. That ain’t going to do it. It needs to have some bottom to it. And also I’ve run into when I try to manipulate it, hitters are like, ‘It doesn’t look right. Out of your hand, your heater is super clean and then your hand is out and rolls.’

“I’m like you know what, sticking with the fastball and slider might just be it. I would love to be able to throw a changeup, but sometimes you’ve got to be content and alright with what you’ve got. We’ll see.”

Vesia did attempt to incorporate a changeup during the 2024 season, but quickly abandoned it after only throwing it 57 times. It’s not hard to see why as opponents had a .313 batting average against it compared to his fastball and slider, which opponents hit .149 and .106 against, respectively.

Vesia’s 1.76 ERA, 87 strikeouts and 66.1 innings pitched in 2024 were all by far the best marks of his career. In October, he pitched 5.2 near-spotless innings as he allowed just four baserunners and struck out six batters.

What makes it even more impressive is that he did all of that with a two-pitch arsenal. Vesia mainly relies on his fastball, throwing it 63.2% of the time while mixing in a slider 31.7% of the time.

How Alex Vesia finds success

Pitchers with limited offerings like Vesia typically do not find tons of success in the Majors as big league hitters are far too talented to only have to account for two different pitches. Vesia is able to get away with it thanks to his fastball having an above-average spin rate and mixing in his slider effectively as a change of pace.

On average Vesia threw his slider at the same speed he would throw his changeup, creating an 8.4 mph difference from his fastball. The results were extremely effective as opponents swung and missed 39.7% of the time when he threw his slider.

He also benefits from being a one-inning reliever and the Dodgers putting him in spots to excel without letting the same hitters see him too often.