Blue Jays' Roberto Osuna: Working to increase velocity

Osuna spent the winter working to add velocity to his fastball, Paul Hagen of MLB.com reports.

Analysis:

Last year, Osuna's average four-seamer sat around 96 mph, marginally above its velocity from the prior season. According to FanGraphs, the Jays' closer employed his favorite pitch on 66.5 percent of his deliveries, significantly lower than the 72.1 percent usage rate from 2015. Osuna relied more on his slider to get hitters out in 2016, racking up 41.6 percent of his punchouts with it. Over his first two MLB seasons, Osuna owns a 0.92 WHIP and 9.8 K/9 while converting 56 of 65 save chances (89 percent success rate). The 22-year-old, who became the full-time closer midway through 2015, has more saves (56) than any reliever his age in MLB history. If his winter workouts pushed his fastball into the upper 90s, then Osuna could continue to increase his strikeout rate.