Zack Wheeler seems fired up about his new pitch, the splitter.
"The splitter, I kind of always had it in my back pocket," Wheeler said on Thursday's 94WIP Midday Show in Clearwater with Hugh Douglas and Joe Giglio.
"I've kind of always switched around between a traditional changeup and a split," he continued. "I've probably threw it like five times a year the past few years and that's to like Freddie Freeman in like a 3-2 count, please swing at it. This year I've made a concerted effort to really work at it. Literally sit on the couch throughout the offseason, play around with some grips. Caleb [Cotham], our pitching coach, is really awesome at hand manipulation with the ball and he's made my offspeed pitches a lot better and he's helped me out with the split.
"It's been hit or miss this Spring, but it's always moving which is fine with me. As long as it's not floating up there in the middle of the zone, I'm cool with it. Sometimes I've cut it, sometimes it's done split things. As long as there is that velo difference and it's moving I'm cool with it right now. I want to get it nailed down though, where it's consistent."
"Hey Joe, do you see what I'm seeing?" Douglas asked. "He's excited. He's excited about that."
The 33-year-old Phillies pitcher is fresh off of signing a new three-year, $126 million contract extension and will get the ball on Opening Day for the Phils.