Mookie Betts deal back on

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Indians News

Sunday FanGraph notes, Aaron Civale’s four-seam fastball | FanGraphs

From David Laurila:

Aaron Civale doesn’t feature many four-seam fastballs. The Cleveland Indians right-hander threw the pitch just 3.2% of the time in his rookie season. And while upping that usage in 2020 isn’t necessarily a goal, having a higher-quality four-seamer is. Cognizant of the fact that he’s ”always been able to spin a baseball, but not really backspin a baseball,” Civale has been working out at Cressey Sports Performance in hopes of changing that dynamic.

As for his primary fastball, the 24-year-old Northeastern University product doesn’t throw a traditional two-seamer. He described the grip as “a little bit offset, creating almost one-seam spin; I spin at a different axis to create more of a lateral movement, versus just depth. The better I spin it —I do spin the ball well — the more it moves in the direction I want it to.”

Here’s a reasonable idea from a national MLB writer ...

Around the League

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• Twins still in mega-deal and get a better deal in round two
• The prospects that made the Betts blockbuster trade finally happen
• The Tigers are still looking for outfielders too