GOODYEAR, Ariz. _ With the exception of two pitches Tuesday night, Shane Bieber's spring camp has been nearly flawless.
Not bad for his first big-league spring.
Bieber was certainly on the Indians' radar last spring but was kept away from the major-league side of things. As manager Terry Francona joked at that time, it was because the front office knew he'd fall in love with Bieber and want him all year. They were right.
Bieber owns a 1.42 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 19 innings in Cactus League play this spring. He had been nearly untouched until his last start, when two solo home runs were added as nearly the only blemishes on his record.
It has all followed the best-case scenario script.
"Yeah, except for those two heaters in the fourth," Bieber said with a smile Tuesday night. "Yeah, it's been good. I feel like stuff's coming out good. Still figuring some stuff out but getting better as the spring goes on and as the games are going on. Yeah, happy with where I'm at right now and moving forward."
Bieber last season posted a 4.55 ERA in 114 2/3 innings, but he also sported a 3.23 FIP and has been one of the biggest breakout candidates across baseball.
If that ends up being true, it'll likely come with an improved changeup as part of the reasoning. Bieber has made it a focus this season to include his changeup as a bigger piece to his arsenal, particularly against left-handers, who in 2018 had a .909 OPS against him, while righties had an OPS of only .655. He also slightly altered his grip and the way it comes out of his hand.
According to Brooks Baseball, Bieber threw his changeup only 3.88 percent of the time last season, and hitters posted a .357 batting average against when facing it. It's the key to unlocking his next level.
"I'm really trying to throw it more and develop it more," Bieber said. "And especially against lefties. Last year, nothing was going away from them, so it's something to change speeds on them and give them a different look and being able to throw it in any count is going to be big for me."
If Bieber can take the same kind of leap forward that Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger recently and successfully took, it'd only further round out arguably the best and deepest rotation in baseball.
Francona was asked this week how excited he was to have Bieber for a full season in 2019. He grinned.
"I'm looking forward to seeing him over entire seasons," Francona said, putting extra emphasis on the last letter. "He's a pretty special kid."
