It was on May 7, 2022, that I officially became concerned about Shane Bieber.
The Cleveland Guardians’ ace had been shelled by the Blue Jays in the first game of a doubleheader, allowing eight hits, three walks, and seven earned runs over 3.1 innings. Not only was Bieber’s lack of command alarming, nearly throwing more balls (33) than strikes (38), but he was averaging 89.9 mph on his four-seam fastball in that game.
Bieber had already seen his fastball velocity dip from 94.1 mph in 2020 to 92.8 mph in 2021. That trend continued into 2022, with his four-seamer averaging 90.