FORT MYERS, Fla. - Sifting through all the great Garrett Whitlock stories from 2021, one seemed to serve as a pretty significant springboard.
That was Matt Andriese teaching Whitlock the changeup that just so happened to become one of the most lethal pitches in the American League.
Whitlock would throw the pitch - which he had no relationship with prior to spring training - 237 times during the 2021 regular season. Just one time did it result in a home run, with hitters managing just a .185 batting average against it.
This year, it's Michael Wacha's turn to pick up the changeup mentorship.
"I’m picking Wacha’s brain. He has an amazing changeup," Whitlock told WEEI.com.
"Wacha has a fabulous changeup so we have been playing catch and he has been showing me some stuff. We’re just trying to get it consistent and keep it going."
While Wacha and Whitlock don't hold the pitch the same way - with the former Cardinal going with a four-seam grip compared to Whitlock's two-seam approach - it's easy to see why the Sox' second-year hurler has gravitated toward Wacha.
The 30-year-old uses the changeup as one of his two primary weapons, with opponents managing just a .207 batting average against the pitch last year.
As Whitlock has come to discover, the intricacies of the offering stretch far beyond just how he holds the ball.
"It’s more like when it use it counts. Where to start it at. Stuff like that," he said. "We have the movement down, so now it’s learning how to place it a lot better. It’s all about intensity out front, making sure you aren’t guiding it in. You have to trust it is going to do the movement it’s going to do and that you don’t have to force it.
"You’re always learning in this game and trying to make everything better. You will never hit perfection. You have to learn from the guys who has been there before you."
For Wacha, who learned the pitched in high school but perfected it at Texas A&M, the conversations with Whitlock have been somewhat therapeutic, as well.
"I’m always here for any help anybody wants to ask about," he explained. "That’s what we’re here for. We learn from each other and try and get the best out of each other. Whenever he comes up for questions I try and help him as much as I can. But he has a really good feel for it right now. Just playing catch with him and seeing his action. It’s really going to be a big weapon for him.
"There is some mentality with every pitch. If you have some negative thoughts going in there with a certain pitch, thinking it is your third-best pitch and wondering if you can throw it … It’s all about having confidence and conviction to throw it. It’s just throwing it and trusting it. With our mechanics being different it can be a little bit different and that’s holding the ball with a little bit different grip. But that mentality and how you throw it with the same arm speed, it all plays the same."
As for the status of each pitcher, Wacha threw four innings (along with some additional toss on the backfield) Thursday, giving up thee runs, striking out five and not walking a batter against the Twins at JetBlue Park. Whitlock, who will be available out of the bullpen Opening Day, will continue to be stretched out as a starter in a minor-league game Friday.