Luis Gil’s changed his slider and it’s paying off

Having made some changes, Gil is bouncing back well after a slump.

We all knew it would come eventually, but nevertheless, it didn’t feel great to see Luis Gil go through some regression near the midway point of the season. To make it even worse, those rough patches exceeded the reasonable levels. Seven runs in 1.1 IP will do that to you.

How Gil would respond to that tough stretch was of great importance, what with Gil looking like a potential ace over his first couple months of the season. While it remains early to fully judge his response, first indications have shown everything you would want to see.

Gil is coming off two very strong outings, and one of the primary reasons for his resurgence is the adjustment he’s made to the slider. Previously the third pitch in his arsenal, the breaking ball was rarely used if the heater and change were both working. New and improved, the slider is getting featured more.

In two recent performances against the Red Sox and Orioles, Gil has allowed only a pair of runs on 13.2 innings pitch. The most significant change in those games for the young starter was the presence of more breaking balls.

Take a look at Gil’s pitch usage in every month of 2024:

After securing five of his seven strikeouts against the Orioles on the breaking ball, Gil, Austin Wells and even Aaron Boone talked about what that pitch going to another level unlocks for him.

At the instruction of the pitching staff, Gil changed the grip on the slider, a move that translated into immediate results, with the pitch increasing in velocity and horizontal break. Before July, Gil’s slider was coming in at 87.5 mph, and in his three starts since the beginning of July, that velo went up to 88.8 mph.

The standard is that the harder a pitch, the tougher it is to control it, but there are always exceptions, and this is a particular case. As Gil himself has said, the new grip also helped him get a better feel for the pitch, allowing him to throw it with more conviction.

That means Gil is throwing the pitch with higher velocity, more confidence in commanding it, and additional horizontal movement. Facing the Red Sox and Orioles, Gil’s breaking ball had an extra two and three inches of horizontal movement, respectively.

One specific aspect to note is that even though his usage of the slider is up both against righties and lefties, the impact versus left-handed hitters has been particularly eye-popping. Here is the pitch % and then chase % against lefties.

While right-handers aren’t necessarily chasing more, that’s exactly the case for a pitch he basically never threw to lefties before this change.

With increased usage and a new profile, Gil’s slider has become his number one put away pitch in July, with 11 of his 19 strikeouts coming on it. Furthermore, opposing hitters are only 3-for-27 against it.

Obviously, these are small samples and should be taken with a grain of salt, but even though we should reserve judgement on the results, the process looks sound. Now, it’s just about repeating it consistently.

Gil might’ve been a two-pitch guy for much of the first half, and this isn’t to say he can’t find success with that formula again. It’s just that if he can get the slider working well as we’ve seen his heater and changeup do, the sky is the limit, and it should help insure against the possibility of another slump as deep as the one Gil went through last month.