Alex Vesia has had a changeup in his repertoire since making his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020, but the pitch has not had a usage rate above 6.2% since 2021.
However, Vesia’s changeup has seen an uptick in usage early on as part of his excellent start to the 2026 season. There are many people Vesia credits with helping him develop the pitch, one of whom is 10-year MLB veteran and current Dodgers special assistant Chris Archer.
“I give a big credit to the coaching staff. Talking with Mark (Prior) and Connor (McGuiness) about stuff, even Ryan Dennick, the Triple-A coach, we’ve gone back and forth quite a bit,” Vesia said. “Rob Hill and I, we’ve gone back and forth on it.
“Tried to incorporate it in years past, and it’s been not very good. This year, with the grip and trust, I was actually talking with Chris Archer about it, he had me throwing it at, like, 100 feet, versus 60 feet. And that kind of changed my feel for it.
“Having the third pitch, I think it’s a little harder to game plan fastball up and slider down. Now there is a third component to that. Just got to keep riding it.”
Vesia isn’t exactly sure why Archer’s advice was so immediately effective, but it has given the left-hander a reliable third pitch this season. Archer joined the Dodgers front office in December 2023.
“I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t really know,” Vesia said. “Arch was watching us play catch in Spring Training and said, ‘Do you want to scoot back a little bit?’ OK. ‘Throw a changeup.’ I was like, ‘Huh?’ And then I threw it, and it was pretty good. It was really weird to throw it from that far, but yeah. You might have to ask him.
“Even he was like, ‘I didn’t really throw a changeup but this is what I’ve learned.’ Alright, I’ll trust you.”
Vesia has thrown his changeup exclusively to right-handed hitters this season to great effect. While he hasn’t collected any strikeouts with the pitch, it has generated a 50% whiff rate and has allowed Vesia to set up his other two pitches against right-handers.
This added dimension to his plan of attack has allowed him to generate great results, limiting right-handers to .067/.222/.067 with a .169 wOBA and seven strikeouts against 18 total batters.
Alex Vesia earns save on Healthcare Appreciation Night
Vesia and his wife Kayla invited more than 20 healthcare workers to Dodger Stadium for the team’s annual Healthcare Appreciation Night. The Vesias’ invited guests got to go on the field before first pitch and take in the game from a suite.
Their loudest cheers came after Vesia struck out the side to wrap up the Dodgers’ 2-1 win.
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