Trade, teach ... steal? Bucs hurlers throw out dream pitch wish list

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BRADENTON, Fla. -- It was over games of Fortnite that Jared Jones and Thomas Harrington joked about the latter’s fastball movement. Harrington taught Jones his grip that offseason, Jones adopted it and his already nasty fastball got extra movement last year. Bubba Chandler claimed in Pirates camp that Harrington helped with his curveball, too.

At this rate, we just might see every pitch baseball’s No. 80 prospect has to offer before he debuts in the Majors.

“My stuff’s not gonna be new because everybody’s using it,” Harrington joked.

Pitchers sharing notes can only be a good thing, giving themselves a chance to see what works for their teammates and perhaps even replicate their success. Plenty of pitchers will also come into camp with new or tweaked offerings each year. Mitch Keller worked on his changeup this winter. Paul Skenes added a cutter and a sinker. Jones is now brandishing a two-seamer. Colin Holderman has a splitter and a four-seamer. The list can continue on and on.

But what if we cut out the middle man? Instead of learning or polishing up a pitch from a teammate, what if they could steal a pitch and add it to their arsenal?

I posed that question to pitchers in the locker room and compiled 10 answers from pitchers who should make an impact in 2025. Here’s what they had to say:

“Probably Paul’s splitter, sinker, whatever he calls it. It’s probably one of the best pitches in baseball right now. That or Jared’s fastball. I think a sinker would fit really well in my arsenal.” -- Harrington

“I’ll take that [Aroldis] Chapman 105 [mph] fastball to [Manny] Machado last year. I’ll take that all day. I faced him right after that, and I think I had one of the hardest bullets allowed last year. Machado thought that was 85 after seeing 105.” -- Holderman

“Whoever’s got the best changeup. I like the splinker for Skenes.” -- Johan Oviedo

“Probably Beddy’s [David Bednar] splitter. I think that would be fun. I think throwing a splitter would be cool. Maybe Kyle’s [Nicolas] curveball, but I would have to change my [arm] slot a little for that. Maybe those two 90 mph curveballs are cool, and splitters are cool, too.” -- Skenes

“Keller’s got a billion. I really like [Dauri] Moreta’s slider. The wrong way slider. A little screwball. That one’s disgusting. I don’t enjoy catching that.” -- Bednar

“I would say probably Jones’ ‘... you’ heater. I love that. His heater is unbelievable. I know Paul throws 101, but there’s something about Jared’s that’s fun to watch. It’s the mentality behind it.” -- Keller

“It’s hard to not say Paul’s splinker, but I want to go with someone else. I like [Hunter] Stratton’s cutter. Just the way it plays off his fastball. It’s a super cut. It’s fun to watch him pitch and watch him compete.” -- Jones

“It’s the [Skenes] splinker. I don’t have anything that goes right. I’m a cut-right guy; fastball has some cut to it, and a slider. I need something that goes right. I don’t need it, but it would be nice to have it in the back pocket.” -- Stratton

“Either [Braxton] Ashcraft’s curveball or Beddy’s splitter. I’m jealous of Braxton’s curveball. It’s really sharp; a lot better than mine. And Bednar’s splitter is elite, and I don’t have a splitter, and I want to add a splitter one day. If I could have a splitter like his, that would be elite.” -- Chandler

“I’m gonna steal every single one of Paul’s pitches. That’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna have that guy teach me how to throw a baseball.” -- Bailey Falter