Mason Montgomery’s first velocity spike got here the normal means. A Minor League starter since 2021 with the Rays, Tampa Bay moved him to the bullpen in the course of the 2024 season whereas at Triple-A Durham, when his four-seam fastball was sitting at 91-92 mph only a 12 months prior. It jumped to over 95 mph out of the bullpen.
Then, there was one other leap. This velocity spike was much less anticipated and took him into uncharted territory. In his second look of 2025 — now within the Majors — that fastball velocity wasn’t simply within the mid-90s, however somewhat triple digits. It was in opposition to the Pirates on April 5 when he fired 5 pitches 100 mph or sooner en path to putting out the facet.
“The velo leap from the tip of the ’24 season to ’25, although it wasn’t as huge because the beginning to relieving leap, I believe that was simply the results of understanding what my job was going to be within the subsequent 12 months,” Montgomery stated Tuesday over Zoom. “Simply placing the work in within the offseason, getting stronger, coaching the arm and making an attempt to [get] every little thing I may out of my physique.”
Simply how uncommon is a 98.7 mph fastball common for a lefty? Because the creation of pitch monitoring in 2008, the one left-hander to common the next fastball velocity over the course of a season was Aroldis Chapman (min. 500 pitches). Montgomery’s fastball strikes, too, with Baseball Savant measuring it at 18.5 inches of vertical break, about 2.7 inches greater than different comparable pitches. It’s not a quick, flat heater, it’s one which strikes and may zip by hitters, a doubtlessly elite weapon for a younger pitcher.
“It’s fairly clear that’s in all probability one of the best factor that has occurred to me so far as my profession has gone,” Montgomery stated. “… Within the beginning place, I form of hit a highway block. I had spent 5, six months in that ’24 season simply making an attempt various things and making an attempt to hunt out success.
“Every time I moved to the bullpen, it opened up my thoughts. It modified my mindset just a little bit from a marathon mentality to a dash. Like, ‘Hey, I’m going to go on the market and I’m going to have 25-30 pitches, so let’s simply give all of it you bought for 30 pitches.’ There isn’t a have to make your arm final or work round guys or no matter it might need been.”
A change to the bullpen helped Montgomery discover that further velocity, attain the Majors and now change into a Pirate. Montgomery was one in all three gamers who got here to Pittsburgh on Dec. 19 as a part of a three-team commerce between the Pirates, Astros and Rays, the others being his former Tampa Bay teammates Brandon Lowe and Jake Mangum.
Montgomery spent a lot of the season within the Rays’ bullpen, the place he went 1-3 with a 5.67 ERA in 57 video games (46 innings). Whereas these stats on the again of the baseball card aren’t flattering, the peripherals painted a a lot kinder story. A few of that is because of that elite fastball velocity, but in addition his high-spin slider. That two-pitch combine resulted in a 30.1% strikeout price and a 35.8% whiff price, each of which ranked within the high 10% of pitchers final 12 months. He additionally bought greater than his fair proportion of chases, with hitters swinging outdoors of the zone 31.5% of the time.
The obvious difficulty is making an attempt to chop down on the free passes — he walked 12.9% of his batters confronted final 12 months — however Montgomery has a ability set of a pitcher that has typically succeeded below the Pirates’ tutorship.
“We predict the underlying stuff was higher than the floor ERA,” basic supervisor Ben Cherington stated after the commerce. “Somebody we expect we are able to actually develop with.”
“I do not know should you guys have executed your analysis on it, however I imply, 20-plus inches of carry is legit,” Lowe stated of Montgomery’s fastball. “Being any person that is needed to face these form of metrics earlier than, I do not perceive how he ever provides up successful.”
A lot of the lefties within the Pirates’ bullpen the previous few years have been tender tossers. Between Montgomery and free agent Gregory Soto, they’re positioned to have a number of the hardest-throwing southpaws within the sport. There’s loads of alternative within the Bucs’ bullpen, and an elite fastball may make him a serious participant within the late innings in some unspecified time in the future in 2026.
“There are lots of people I can be taught from,” Montgomery stated about becoming a member of the Pirates’ employees. “I’m excited for that. I used to be speaking to Brandon and Jake. They had been like, ‘You ought to be excited. This is likely one of the higher pitching staffs within the league.’ I’m excited. It’ll be enjoyable. There are going to be some studying alternatives.”
