Weatherly Flashes Change At Tournament of Stars

CARY, N.C.—Understandably on the summer showcase circuit, good breaking balls outnumber good changeups.

If you’re a rising high school senior with a blazing fastball, a lot of times there’s not a lot of emphasis on developing a pitch that in its early stages is a hittable offering for those who can’t catch up to your fastball.

But Sam Weatherly spent his time on the mound at the Tournament of the Stars using his fastball to set up his changeup.

It was understandable, as Weatherly’s changeup showed deception and some fade, proving to be a weapon against some of the better high school hitters in the Class of 2017.

The 6-foot-3 Weatherly spent some time this offseason with former Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones. And during one of their sessions, Jones showed Weatherly a new changeup grip—it was the grip that Max Scherzer uses for his changeup, not a full circle change but almost a half-circle grip. Weatherly tried it out and something felt comfortable right away.

Half a year later, Weatherly’s changeup has become a weapon. It was apparent on the first day of games at the Tournament of Stars. Weatherly, a Howell (Mich.) High rising senior who is committed to Clemson, was comfortable doubling up on his changeup.

“I have confidence in both of them (changeup and breaking ball). When I see a kid has a bad swing on it, I’ll go right at them again,” Weatherly said. “It’s keeping them off balance and attacking hitters.”

Weatherly used all three pitches in a quick, 10-pitch, three-up, three-down inning where he showed his confidence in his changeup and his 87-88 mph fastball. His second inning was a little rougher as an unearned run scored thanks to an error.

Weatherly’s breaking ball is less consistent than his changeup, but he had decent feel for it on Wednesday.

“It’s coming along,” Weatherly said. “It’s been inconsistent but today I had a good feel for it. Today was good. I was glad to have it.”