Masahiro Tanaka has always had a diverse pitch set. Why has he seemingly dropped the four-seam fastball from his repertoire?
Masahiro Tanaka possesses a deep array of pitches. From the moment he came to MLB, there has been constant discussion about his vast arsenal. He has an impressive splitter, a slider, curve, and cutter, as well as a two-seam fastball and a four-seam fastball.
The 2016 season is still quite young, but thus far, Tanaka has all but eliminated the four-seam fastball from his repertoire. He's only started twice this year, but against the Astros on Opening Day, Tanaka threw just a single four-seamer.