Jhoan Duran, the Minnesota Twins' closer, recently introduced a new pitch to his repertoire: the sweeper. During a game against the Houston Astros, Duran struck out Jake Meyers with this pitch, which he had been developing over the past two years. His fastball can peak at 104 mph, and while his splinker has become popular among pitchers for generating ground balls, the sweeper adds a new dimension. This pitch moves away from right-handed hitters and can be thrown at 87 mph, similar to his curveball.

Initially, Duran faced challenges integrating the sweeper into his game, having shelved it after its first attempt last season went awry. He worked on refining it during the offseason with assistant pitching coach Luis Ramírez, focusing on grip and arm slot adjustments. Feedback from teammates and coaches has been encouraging, suggesting that the sweeper could be a valuable weapon in Duran's arsenal for the upcoming season.