Detroit Tigers' Alex Faedo absolutely had to learn new changeup. Will it keep him in MLB?

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers right-hander Alex Faedo, a former first-round draft pick caught somewhere in between a Triple-A starter and a major league reliever, brought a new changeup grip to spring training.

The old changeup grip led to nail and blister issues on his fingers.

The new grip is called a kick change.

"It was a pain in the butt," Faedo said, "but I think it's a blessing in disguise. I got a better grip that I think is a better pitch, so hopefully, it works for me long term."

His right middle finger was impacted the most by the old changeup grip, dating back to 2019. There were some games in 2022 and 2023 where Faedo tried to minimize the usage of his changeup because the pain was unbearable.

In early June, Faedo visited a doctor in Philadelphia while on the injured list. The hand specialist removed a portion of the fingernail on his middle finger. The procedure eased the pain, but Faedo still couldn't throw his changeup with complete freedom in the offseason.

ROSTER PREDICTION 3.0: Are the 13 position players already locked in?

Not until Jon Huizinga, a former Michigan State pitcher who is a personal pitching coach at Fuel Factory Sports in Phoenix, showed him the new changeup grip — dubbed as a kick change — during pre-spring training bullpen sessions.

Faedo threw bullpens, coordinated by Huizinga, in preparation for spring training with two of his teammates: left-hander Tarik Skubal and right-hander Beau Brieske.

"We toyed around with it," Faedo said, "but I didn't pay too much attention."

Then, Skubal sent him a TikTok video.

"I think our phones were listening to us," Faedo said. "It was someone talking about the same type of grip, so I was like, 'All right, let's try it.' It's been really good since then, so now it's about getting comfortable throwing it to hitters in games."

Faedo pitched in his first spring training game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 28-year-old allowed two runs on four hits across two innings, throwing 16 pitches. He racked up three strikeouts and conceded a walk.

His slider was dynamite.

It's been the best pitch in his repertoire since he was drafted No. 18 overall in 2017 out of Florida. He also throws a four-seam fastball, changeup and two-seam fastball.

[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

JEFF SEIDEL: It wasn't a walk in the park, but Tigers' Colt Keith showed why he'll be special

He added the two-seamer in the offseason, as well.

"Two-seam, I'm just trying to work on adding another pitch, especially for inside on righties," Faedo said. "The changeup is supposed to play off my (four-seamer) because of the separation with the (vertical movement). The two-seam is in between that."

An effective changeup with repeatability is necessary for Faedo to work as a full-time starting pitcher in the big leagues. Without the changeup, Faedo profiles as a fringe reliever because he turns into a two-pitch pitcher with an elite slider and a below-average fastball.

He needs the changeup.

"It's good to go into spring training having an offseason to work on my stuff and not rehabbing an injury," said Faedo, who underwent elbow surgery in December 2020 and hip surgery around July 2022. "I think there are a lot of things that are going my way right now. It's just about progressing through spring."

Faedo spent the offseason in Phoenix training under Justin Wakefield at APEX Performance Facility. Previously, Faedo spent the winter months in the Tampa area. He moved his family of three — soon to be four — to Phoenix last season.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch praised Faedo's work ethic.

"I like the work that he's put in," Hinch said. "This probably feels like one of the more normal camps that he's going to have, despite not knowing what kind of role he's going to develop into. ... But he's put in the work, which is never a doubt with Alex."

Skubal trains with Wakefield, too.

"Having a throwing partner like Skubs, we know each other so well," Faedo said, "and we've been each other at our best and at our worst, so just a day of catch, we can be brutally honest with each other. If I'm working on throwing, just feeling out my pitches, I know that he's going to give me honest feedback, and he knows that I'll give him the same."

ANOTHER PITCHER: How Tigers' Reese Olson plans to build on strong finish to rookie season

Faedo, whose slider generated a 41.3% whiff rate last season, owns a 4.94 ERA with 45 walks and 102 strikeouts across 118⅓ innings in his MLB career, spanning 27 games in parts of two seasons.

He received a fourth minor-league option, which means the Tigers can shuffle him back and forth between the minors and majors again in the 2024 season while keeping him on the 40-man roster.

The extra option year hurts his chances of making the Opening Day roster, but if he locks in a usable changeup, he should be on track for another opportunity with the Tigers, likely out of the bullpen.

"My mindset is to develop and do my best in trying to compete," Faedo said. "It's a long season, so as long as I stay the course, a lot of things can happen. Regardless of if I win a job or not in spring training, I still have to hold my job throughout the season or win a job again."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: A look at how Detroit Tigers' Alex Faedo developed his new changeup