Two seasons ago, St. Louis Cardinals starter Andre Pallante pitched to a 3.78 ERA and a 109 ERA+; last year, the script flipped for the young right-hander. His ERA inflated to 5.31, and his HR/9 doubled from 0.6 in 2024 to 1.2 last season.
With this in mind and the Cardinals adding depth to their pitching staff in the offseason, Pallante worked towards three goals this winter after talking with Cardinals pitching coach Dusty Blake. ”Goal number one is really throw more strikes with pitches that aren’t my four-seam fastball,” the Cardinals righty said. “So throwing more strikes with my curveball, my two-seam, my slider.”
Pallante threw 55% strikes with his secondary offerings last season, a steep drop from his 68% with his four-seamer. Pallante, who sits just around league average with his fastball velocity, would benefit from having more pitches in his arsenal that he can land in a competitive location.
“Goal number two was development of an offspeed pitch, whether it be a changeup or a splitter,” the right-hander continued. “I’ve been working on the social media kick-changeup, and that has been coming along really well. I’ve thrown a lot of really good ones, and I’m really excited for that this year.”
The kick-changeup has become popular in recent seasons, and Pallante is one of two Cardinals pitchers planning to utilize the pitch in the upcoming season, as reliever Gordon Graceffo said during his media availability that he was learning the pitch as well this winter.
“I can use it against both sides of the plate, but just to even the splits out a little bit,” Graceffo said when asked how the addition of this pitch would complement his existing arsenal.
The kick-change has begun its arrival in Major League Baseball over the past couple of seasons, including Seattle Mariners closer Andres Munoz and Minnesota Twins starter Pablo Lopez throwing the pitch. Despite using the pitch only about 2% of the time, mostly coming against left-handed hitters, Munoz was towards the top of the league in drop on his changeup. If the Cardinals' right-handers can find consistency with the pitch, it can become a staple of their pitch mix and one of their most important offerings.
"The last thing that I have been working on is a little bit of a carry fastball," the Cardinals starter said. Pallante said that the other two goals have been his main priority has been the other two goals. Pallante, who naturally cuts a fastball, has been trying to create a better spin on the pitch to deceive hitters and have more effectiveness. The Cardinals' right-hander gave up 13 home runs on the pitch last season, which is almost double his total amount given up against all pitches in 2024. With the Cardinals having many pitchers on the doorstep of the big leagues this season is important for Pallante to revert back to his 2024 form.
You can hear Pallante’s full interview on the STL Sports Central YouTube page.