NEW PERSPECTIVES
What Bieber discovered working with Driveline this winter
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Shane Bieber knew there was some horsepower in there somewhere, resting unutilized. So he went searching for it this winter.
Bieber, now 28 years old, is coming off a disappointing 2023 season in multiple respects. He finished the year with a 3.80 ERA — the highest since he was a rookie in 2018 — and again had a season interrupted by injury.
It was the second time in three seasons Bieber was sidelined for a significant amount of time. Wrapped around a superb 2022 in which he struck out 198 batters and posted a 2.88 ERA in 200 innings, Bieber threw only 962⁄3 innings in 2021 and then 128 innings a year ago.
He needed some new perspectives. He was looking for some new data to try to unearth anything that might be of aid. So he went to Driveline, a data-driven baseball performance and training organization, at its Scottsdale, Arizona, location, only about a 15-minute drive from his home. The location where Bieber works out is also only a few minutes away, so the loop between his house, Driveline and the trainers became his normal offseason routine.
“Probably just vulnerability to change, ability to change, commitment to change and search for something new,” Bieber said when asked about the search for new perspectives. “I think the most basic thought process for me at the end of the year was like, ‘OK, I feel strong. I feel that there’s more in there and I’m losing power somewhere.’”
Bieber utilizes Driveline data in preparation for Opening Day 2024
Driveline specializes in data and motion-capture video — which leads to more data. Bieber said he didn’t end up making as many changes as he thought he might when it began, but that he “felt like I grew a lot.”
Of course, the velocity storyline has hovered over Bieber’s head since the 2021 season, just a year removed from winning the American League Cy Young award. In 2020, Bieber’s fastball velocity averaged 94.1 mph. That dropped to 92.8 mph in 2021 and has sat at 91.3 mph the last two years.
Through that time, Bieber has adjusted, tinkered with and transformed his pitch selection and sequencing, throwing his fastball less and instead leaning on his breaking ball and off-speed pitches more. He had hit a wall of sorts, and instead of ramming through it, he at times figured out a way to go around, under or over it.
But 2023 was his worst non-rookie season in the majors. Spending time at Driveline wasn’t only about velocity, it was about pitch design. Bieber often doesn’t divulge too much each spring, but he noted he refined his grips, specifically with the curveball, in an effort to have it break more vertically.
“Over time, it had gotten a little more horizontal,” Bieber said. “All it was, was a grip change, so happy to hear that. That was really great news to hear and an easy adjustment. So we were able to do that relatively quickly.”
Guardians don’t trade Shane Bieber — for now, at least — heading into 2024 season
In some ways, it’s almost a surprise to see Bieber in Guardians spring camp at all. He has been the center of trade rumors for quite some time now. In fact, it’s possible the elbow injury he suffered shortly before the trade deadline last July is the only thing that kept him from joining a new team.
Bieber is eligible to be a free agent after the 2024 season. Unless he and the Guardians reach a contract extension — which would more likely than not need to happen before Opening Day — he could yet again be a leading trade candidate simply due to how the Guardians must operate.
He said in the past it hasn’t always been easy to ignore the trade rumors swirling around him. But, this winter, it was easier.
“A lot of that has to do with the routine that I jumped all the way into, and that was every single day,” Bieber said. “And so, like I said, I feel in love with that routine and didn’t really focus on much else.
“We moved into a new house, so when I’d finished my work for the day, I had more work at home and enjoyed doing that with my wife. And so we fell into a great routine, her and I both individually and as a team and that made all the outside noise [easier to deal with].”
Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said the team was “closely connected” with Bieber and Driveline throughout the process. No team in baseball over the last several years has a better reputation for developing pitchers than the Guardians. But it was time for Bieber to add this approach into the mix.
“What [Bieber] shared with us is it’s always helpful just to be able to get another perspective and kind of get assessed from a different group and then think about, how does he piece that information together with the resources that we have to come up with the best plan for him,” Antonetti said.
Led by Shane Bieber, Guardians should have youngest starting rotation in the majors in 2024
Bieber said he feels like a young 28 years old. But he’s also the clear, established veteran and leader of a youthful starting rotation that also features Triston McKenzie, Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen. The other four are all between 24 and 26 years old.
While hoping to find some extra power with his mechanics and grips, and while again trying to ignore trade rumors, Bieber is tasked with leading the young rotation in 2024 as the Guardians hope to return to the playoffs for the first time since their run in 2022.
His hope, and the Guardians’ hope, is the data acquired from Driveline might be the key to unlocking a better 2024.
“It’s a privilege,” Bieber said, speaking to his role as the rotation’s veteran. “It’s a privilege to be able to be in this league and go through different phases. … I think it’s a good thing to feel fresh.”