Eickhoff altered his changeup grip this offseason, The Athletic Philadelphia reports.
Eickhoff threw his changeup less than one percent of the time last season. After altering his grip to be more like that of a palmball, he's been pleased with the pitch's performance this spring, and it could be the weapon he needs in order to have a bounceback 2018 season. Lefties hit for a .375 wOBA against him last season, compared to just .295 for righties, and a change is typically a good weapon to use against opposite-handed hitters. Pitchers working on changeups is a classic spring trope, and they don't all suddenly reach new levels of performance, but if Eickhoff has some small-sample success early this season, it may not be a fluke.