GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Cody Anderson has heard for several years that he needs to develop a reliable curveball if he plans on sticking as a starting pitcher. In the Minors, he would sometimes flip one breaking ball over just to appease the evaluators monitoring his outings.
During a bullpen session while at Double-A Akron last season, Anderson decided enough was enough. He threw a pile of curveballs, testing out every grip imaginable. The big right-hander tried a four-seam curve. He tossed a two-seam curve. He altered the grips on both styles and threw and threw. He changed his arm angle.