Gus Varland was an average Double-A starting pitcher in the Dodgers’ minor league system. But last year in May, the now 26-year-old arm moved to the bullpen and made some changes to his delivery — and they worked.
His strikeout rate went up while his walk rate went down, and he also dropped almost 4 earned runs of his season ERA.
“What made me change to have the most success, especially last year in Double-A when I went from a starter to reliever, were the mechanical changes I made in my delivery,” Varland said. “Being more consistent, more powerful, and a different mentality of just attacking the zone and not being scared of any hitter.