New Pitch, New Attitude for Carrillo

June 29, 2009   ·   Patrick Hickey, Jr.   ·   Jump to comments

Despite possessing a solid assortment of pitches and a ton of promise, Brooklyn Cyclones reliever Mattias Carrillo wasn’t used all that much in 2008, going 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in just 15 appearances.

This season however, Carrillo is hoping for things to be different.

Gaining velocity on his fastball, [which sat around 88 MPH last season] and junking his curveball in favor of a slider is one way to do it.

He’s worked on a few other things as well.

“I added a couple of miles to my fastball; it’s at about 91 MPH now,” said Carrillo. “I’m very happy with my stuff right now. I’ve worked a bit on my mechanics a bit too; my arm angle is a bit different; I have a higher release point.”

Even though the curveball was an effective pitch for the 22-year-old last season, he feels the slider is even better.

Only time will tell how right that decision was though.

For the time being, it’s a choice he’s more than happy with.

“I started using it in the winter and I’ve gotten a lot of outs with it,” he said. “I think it’s going to help me with my consistency and help me get to higher levels.”

Photo by Ron Hatcher.