Nationals' Joe Ross: Working on changeup in spring training

Ross plans on focusing on the development of his changeup this spring, The Washington Post reports. "That's probably the biggest thing I'm going to work on throughout the spring," Ross said Tuesday. "I'm going to try to get with Max [Scherzer] and [Stephen Strasburg], I think, because obviously their changeups are pretty phenomenal. But just trying to stick with them and pick up a few things every day. And honestly, just keep throwing it. I can talk about it as much as I want, but until I actually throw it and start getting on the mound with it, nothing much is going to change."

Analysis:

He threw the pitch 8.8 percent of the time last year, and it was more effective than it had been in 2015, but it's still far from a reliable pitch for Ross. An improved change should help him against left-handed hitters, who slashed .313/.385/.439 against him last season, and allow him to take the next step forward as a pitcher, but wait to see whether he shows a feel for it in Grapefruit League action before expecting any sort of breakout campaign from the 23-year-old.