A Look at How Jameson Taillon Generates Whiffs In the Zone

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY SportsLast season, the talk surrounding the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff in 2018 circled around the revival of breaking pitches, designed to get a hitter to chase. But what about when circumstances dictate coming back into the zone or challenge a hitter?

Much had been made — and continues to be made — about the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting pitchers shifting towards a breaking-ball centric approach. While the fastball certainly isn’t going anywhere, the idea is that Pirates pitchers won’t have to come into the zone as much to be effective.

But what about when they do? Getting a hitter to look foolish on a looping curveball or sharp slider that drops out of the strike…