Yankees' Ryan Weathers looking at 9.1-degree drop after trade
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Yankees' Ryan Weathers looking at 9.1-degree drop after trade originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Ryan Weathers is pitching very differently with the New York Yankees.
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They traded for him this offseason from the Miami Marlins, and he's got a totally different arm slot.
According to Baseball Savant, Weathers is throwing from a 9.1-degree lower arm slot on his four-seam fastball. He now releases that pitch at 36 degrees.
Looks like Baseball Savant's arm angle data is out for 2026!
— Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) April 2, 2026
Attached is a screenshot of some notable risers and droppers on four-seam fastballs, along with their new 2026 arm angle. 40° is the MLB average.
What jumps out? pic.twitter.com/8CsNdP9LA0
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A change in arm angle that dramatic has the potential to change everything about a pitch's profile -- and it's definitely not an accident with that dramatic a change.
His four-seam fastball has 1.8 inches more vertical drop on average this season. It also has 0.9 inches more horizontal movement to the arm side of Weathers.
The change in arm slot also seems to have added both drop and tail to his changeup, and his sweeper breaks almost four more inches, too.
Weathers must've identified this as something to change. There's a chance the Yankees pointed it out to him, too.
Regardless of the reason, it's a big change, and Weathers will hope it works out.
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