After signing a one-year contract during the offseason with an eye on unlocking potential, Andrew Heaney was nothing short of impressive in his two starts with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He threw 10.1 scoreless innings and collected 16 strikeouts against three walks while pitching with a new slider. Unfortunately, Heaney began experiencing left shoulder discomfort and ended up on the 10-day injured list on April 20.
The left-hander has thus far missed what would have been three starts, but Heaney traveled with the Dodgers to Chicago and began playing catch again after not throwing since the injury.
The 30-year-old is now clear to begin working his way back to the rotation after there was significant improvement in his shoulder and he is set to begin a throwing program, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
Left-hander Andrew Heaney, meanwhile, said he has turned the corner with his shoulder injury and has been cleared to start a throwing program Monday in Pittsburgh.
Dodgers manager believes the shortened Spring Training due to the MLB lockout was a contributing factor toward Heaney’s shoulder discomfort. The Dodgers made an effort early to protect their pitchers from being overworked for that very reason, but some injuries were bound to happen with the short and quick ramp-up period.
The Dodgers have turned to Tyler Anderson to replace Heaney and he has filled in nicely, but the southpaw is hopeful to see his fellow veteran return to the rotation soon.
Heaney found success with new slider and fastball combination
What has allowed Heaney to be so successful after a disastrous 2021 season is a new breaking ball that he calls a slider but pitch tracking classifies as a curveball.
“It kind of helps me when I get put into a bad count,” Heaney recently said about his sweeping slider. “You know, 1-0, 2-0, 3-1, whatever it is, I feel comfortable and confident throwing that, and that’s something that were in the past I’ve kind of felt like I’ve got to throw my best heater there and it kind of backs me into a corner a bit.
“So yeah, definitely opens it up, and I think throwing on the inner half with the heater and then having guys have to respect that has kind of opened up a few other things for me too.”
Between his fastball and slider, Heaney said having two pitches so in sync is something he has never experienced in the past, even when one of the top pitching prospects in baseball.
The result so far is both pitches producing a whiff rate above 45%, where his fastball previously been around a 26% rate and his curveball around 35%.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
