Has a new pitch helped unlock Gavin Williams?

There’s perhaps no pitcher more tantalizing in baseball than Gavin Williams. Not only does he have the prototypical pitcher build (6’6”, 250 lbs), but he also has a fastball that averages 96 miles per hour with a bit of a unique shape. 

And while nothing’s changed to take away from either of those things, he’s had a bit of an up-and-down MLB career due to injuries and a lack of command. 

But could all of that be in the past thanks a change in his usage?

Has a new pitch helped unlock Gavin Williams?

On Friday, Williams put together one of the best starts of his career, as he scattered just two hits across six innings with six strikeouts and two walks against the Giants. And while all those stats are great, the biggest positive sign from his start is in relation to his pitch usage.

After not throwing his cutter early in the season, Williams threw the pitch 34 times against the Giants (22 times for strikes) in what could be a sign of a new normal for the 25-year-old. 

Williams didn’t throw the pitch at all across his first four starts of the season (a span in which he had a 4.58 ERA) before gradually increasing its usage throughout the year. 

As pointed out by MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins, Williams has thrown the pitch 22.1% of the time across his last seven starts — a period in which he’s had a 2.89 ERA in 37 1/3 innings. He’s now posted quality starts in three of his four starts in June. 

Although Williams still struggles with his command (his walk rate of 12.9% is in the fifth percentile), he’s been able to generate enough swing-and-miss to make it worth it. This is also seemingly the first time that we’ve been able to see Williams at the height of his powers. 

It may be hard to believe, but he’s seven innings away from setting a career-high in innings pitched. He only pitched in 82 MLB innings in 2023 after earning his midseason callup, and only threw 76 innings last year after missing the first three months of the season with an elbow injury. 

Williams adding his cutter also helps the rest of his arsenal thanks to his ability to tunnel his pitches. His large frame and good extension (84th percentile) allow for his pitches to get on batters quicker than they’d expect. If he’s hitting the strike zone, all of his pitches look the same until it’s too late. 

But when that’s not clicking, things don’t work well, as we saw in last year’s postseason. But it looks like he’s put that in the rearview thanks to his strong start this year. 

Williams pitching well also helps the rest of Cleveland’s rotation. While Tanner Bibee has looked like an ace this season after a rough start, a lot of his success is based around weak contact. Luis Ortiz has a bit more swing-and-miss in his game than Bibee, but it’s still not on the same level as Williams. 

While Guardians starters have a 4.04 ERA this season, they’ve combined for a 3.54 ERA in June thanks to strong months from Williams, Slade Cecconi and Bibee. 

After Williams' start against the Giants, Stephen Vogt told reporters that Williams' cutter was his "best strike pitch right now." Could it also be the pitch that helps the Guardians on their push toward the postseason?