Early on in his minor-league career, right-hander Braden Shipley of the Arizona Diamondbacks mowed down opposing hitters with a hard fastball.
The Medford, Ore. native took a different approach last season. Shipley opted to throw his four-seam fastball slower and averaged 92.06 mph in 2016, according to Brooks Baseball.
Shipley appeared in 13 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks (11 starts) in 2016. The 25-year-old worked 5-plus innings in 10 of his first 11 career starts, tied for the second most by a Diamondbacks’ starter through his first 11 starts. Chase Anderson and Wade Miley accomplished the same feat, according to STATS, LLC.