May 31, 2023
Right-handed pitcher Matt Svanson spent his off-season at the complex in Dunedin working on his slider.
“I spent my off-season in Dunedin training at the Blue Jays spring training complex,” said Svanson. “It was awesome to use the resources there for a whole year, and having both the pitching and training staff to work with.”
“My main focus this off-season was to develop my slider, so I’ve mostly been sinker and slider this year,” Svanson added. “I have been throwing both of them at almost the same rate this year.”
Svanson’s sinker and slider combo is working well as he has racked up 18 K’s with a WHIP of 0.98 after 13 1/3 innings split between Low-A and High-A.
And Svanson has noticed a difference with the hitters between the two levels.
“The biggest difference between the two levels is the hitters ability to hit the slider,” explained Svanson. “Most Low-A hitters I faced struggled with the slider, so you can throw it in any count and get a swing and miss – but if you throw a poorly placed slider in High-A the hitters will punish you for it.”
He also feels that his sinker and slider plays well off each other, “I try to use my fastball on both sides of the plate, so the hitters can’t really sit on a certain location,” stated Svanson. “If I feel the hitters are sitting on the fastball, I will use my slider and throw it both for strikes and out of the zone. My goal is for the hitter to never know which pitch is coming, which will allow my fastball to play up rather than if they were sitting on it.”
Be sure to follow Matt Svanson’s progress this season, as he continues to find success.