Taillon’s 2018 season can be divided into two parts: pre-slider and post-slider. From May 27- the day he started using it consistently- on, he finished ninth in baseball in ERA (2.71) and 14th in FIP (3.20) (Min. 90 IP).
While his slider was a game changer for him, he actually had mediocre numbers with it. Batters made solid contact and posted above average results against his new offering.
The pitch has been a key offseason project for Taillon, who didn’t get a chance to experiment with it last year.
“Most major league guys would take an offseason to develop a pitch, or take years to develop a pitch,” Taillon said.