Seattle Mariners All-Star Closer Andres Munoz Experimenting with New Potential Weapon
According to Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710, Seattle Mariners closer Andres Munoz is experimenting with a new changeup.
She posted some video of Munoz working on the pitch in the bullpen, which is drawing some excellent reaction.
Second pitch in is the Munoz change. He cautioned after he’s only thrown it once, doesn’t know where he is going with the pitch but man, the reaction. We shall see!
Second pitch in is the Munoz change. He cautioned after he’s only thrown it once, doesn’t know where he is going with the pitch but man, the reaction. We shall see! pic.twitter.com/xd25LeSk74
— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) February 22, 2025
Munoz typically features an upper-90s fastball with movement but can go over 100 MPH when he wants to. Furthermore, he's got a devastating slider.
The changeup isn't necessarily something that Munoz needs, but it will be interesting to see where he decides to go with it. Even if it's just something that he can keep in his back pocket as a "show-me" pitch, it's worth having.
Munoz, who made the All-Star Game for Seattle, went 3-7 in 2024, but he posted a solid 2.12 ERA. He struck out 77 batters in 59.1 innings and was downright wicked at T-Mobile Park, which we just learned is the most extreme ballpark in baseball.
A 26-year-old native of Mexico, Munoz is 10-20 lifetime with a 2.65 ERA. He is a five-year veteran of the Mariners and San Diego Padres, having been acquired by the M's in a trade with San Diego back in 2020.
He became the Mariners closer in 2023 after the team traded Paul Sewald to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It will be interesting to see how manager Dan Wilson deploys his bullpen this year, as it's his first full season as manager. The plan heading into 2024 (presumably) was to have a three-headed monster of Matt Brash, Gregory Santos and Munoz, with any of them being able to fill any of the late-inning roles. But Brash missed the entire year with Tommy John surgery and Santos was out most of the year with a variety of injuries.
With those two back in the fold, presumably by May (when Brash returns), the team could pivot back to that original plan if it wants to.
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