What's the secret behind Ryan's rising fastball velo?

MINNEAPOLIS -- The day Joe Ryan first stepped on a Major League mound on Sept. 1, 2021, his fastball averaged 90.8 mph. But that fastball was still the buzzy pitch that had made him such an intriguing prospect as he climbed the Minor League ladder, baffling hitters as he used it with a nearly unheard-of frequency despite the relatively meager velocity.

Well, turns out he can throw it at 96 mph now.

Plenty has been made of Ryan’s transformation from an essentially fastball-only pitcher to a better-rounded one whose offspeed mix has evolved as he has matured. But it’s also worth noting how Ryan has continued to add to that fastball over the years -- and he showed that off at its fullest in seven brilliant innings to pace the Twins’ 6-5 victory over the Royals on Monday afternoon at Target Field.

“He's always had the fastball that was invisible before everyone knew what [vertical approach angle] and carry was,” catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “Seeing him go through [struggles], work through that and come in this year better than he's ever been, and really turning himself into a true ace-caliber type pitcher, it's really good to see.”

The reason why Ryan’s fastball has always been so good is because it uniquely comes out of a low arm slot with the perceived rise he’s able to give it -- and that’s always played, even at lower velocities. It used to be reasonably rare for Ryan’s fastball to even touch a legitimate 95 mph at times, and he only had one career pitch at 96 mph entering this season.

But this month, he seems to have found a full new gear, first throwing two pitches at 96.0 mph in a pair of May starts, then extending his career-best to 96.1 mph on May 21, then throwing five more at 96-plus against the Royals, including a 96.6 mph heater to Nelson Velázquez in the second inning that extended his previous career-high velocity by a full 0.5 mph.

Joe Ryan, average fastball velocity

2021: 91.2 mph
2022: 92.0 mph
2023: 92.3 mph
2024: 93.8 mph (Monday: 94.7 mph)

“Sometimes, I think it got worse at times, just like with other pitches,” Ryan said. “But the velo is obviously a good thing, so that makes it better. And then just characteristics, it has gotten a little bit more carry here and there.”

And Kansas City simply couldn’t touch it.

Ryan dominated throughout his seven-inning outing, allowing only one run on a trio of singles in the sixth inning while simply overpowering the Royals’ productive lineup for most of the afternoon, which he finished with nine strikeouts and no walks to expand his sparkling strikeout-to-walk ratio to 73 strikeouts and nine free passes.

He’s being ultra-aggressive in the zone and getting the results for it -- his 2.96 ERA through 11 starts speaks for itself -- and why wouldn’t he be aggressive, given how much he can trust his fastball on a good day? The Royals managed to foul off 12 of them, but whiffed on 11 -- and only put three in play, for a popout, groundout and flyout.

Eight of the nine strikeouts by Ryan came on the fastball.

“Even if you think you can get close to squaring it up, you're not going to be,” Jeffers said. “It affords him a lot more options. The harder you throw -- it's just a natural rule of baseball that the harder you throw, the better your offspeed pitches are, too.”

The challenge for Ryan now comes in maintaining this level of performance. He has often started strong like this, but got less effective in the second half -- particularly last season, when he pitched through a groin injury and allowed too many homers on the fastball.

Ryan spoke on Monday about continuing to trust “the process” with the continued improvement of his strength and mechanics -- not specifically seeking velocity. But it has indeed spiked up with more consistency this month, when he has posted the two highest average fastball velocity marks of his career in consecutive starts.

“I know where the fastball is when it’s good and when it’s bad,” Ryan said. “More just physical, like how I’m feeling, I think all pitch types work off that really well for me.”

And Ryan has now completed seven innings in three of his past four starts, with this boosted stuff helping him give the Twins the consistency they’ve sought amid an up-and-down season.