Nathan Eovaldi’s Evolution: How a Slower Fastball and Smarter Approach Turned Into the Best Season of His Career

For most pitchers, the story of losing velocity is the story of decline. The radar gun begins to dip, the bite on breaking balls softens, and the questions quickly pile up: Can he still get outs? How much longer can he last? But Nathan Eovaldi has spent 14 years in the big leagues defying expectations, and in 2024 he’s doing it again.

At 34, the Texas Rangers right-hander is having one of the best seasons of his career — despite a fastball that no longer touches the upper 90s like it once did. Instead of fading, Eovaldi has reinvented himself, reshaping his arsenal, sharpening his command, and outthinking hitters who once feared him simply for his power. The result has been a season that has fans, teammates, and even rivals asking the same question: How is he pulling this off?

When Eovaldi first broke into the majors with the Dodgers in 2011, the scouting report was simple. He threw hard. That heater, routinely brushing 97–99 mph, was his calling card. Hitters had to respect it, and everything else played off it. But time, arm surgeries, and the grind of more than a decade on the mound have taken a toll. This season, his average fastball is hovering around 94 mph — down from his peak years and the slowest it has been in his career. The curveball, splitter, and cutter have also lost velocity. By traditional metrics, this should be a red flag.

Instead, it’s been the foundation of his success.

Eovaldi has embraced the craft of pitching in a way he never fully had to before. The days of simply overpowering lineups are gone. Now it’s about sequencing, deception, and execution. He has leaned heavily into his splitter, a pitch that generates weak contact and ground balls. He’s adjusted the shape of his cutter to keep hitters guessing. And he’s shown a willingness to pitch backward, flipping first-pitch curveballs for strikes when batters are sitting fastball.

“Velocity is always nice,” Eovaldi said earlier this summer. “But the biggest thing is being unpredictable. If they don’t know what’s coming, that’s when you can control the at-bat.”

The numbers back him up. Through the first half of the season, Eovaldi owns one of the lowest hard-hit rates in the American League. Opponents are chasing pitches out of the zone more than ever, and when they do make contact, it’s rarely loud. His strikeout totals aren’t as gaudy as some of the younger flamethrowers around the league, but the efficiency and consistency have been crucial for a Rangers team trying to defend its World Series title.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy has watched this evolution up close. “Nate’s always had the firepower,” Bochy said. “But what he’s showing now is command of the game. He understands how to use his pitches in any situation. That’s what makes him so tough — he’s thinking one step ahead.”

Teammates echo the sentiment. Catcher Jonah Heim, who has been behind the plate for most of Eovaldi’s starts, says the veteran righty has become “a chess player” on the mound. “We’ll sit down before games and he’ll map out how he wants to attack a lineup. He’s not just throwing anymore — he’s pitching. That’s a big difference.”

It’s a transition many pitchers attempt but few execute successfully. For every Justin Verlander or Zack Greinke who evolves into a master craftsman late in his career, there are countless others who struggle once their velocity dips. Eovaldi’s ability to make the leap speaks not only to his athleticism but also his adaptability.

There’s also a level of resilience baked into his story. This is a pitcher who has undergone two Tommy John surgeries, battled through injuries that might have ended other careers, and still managed to reinvent himself. In a way, the slowing fastball feels less like a decline and more like a new chapter.

Rangers fans, of course, are reaping the benefits. After last year’s magical October run that ended with the franchise’s first World Series championship, expectations in Arlington are sky-high. For the Rangers to repeat, they’ll need stability at the top of the rotation. Eovaldi has provided exactly that, anchoring the staff with quality starts and a veteran presence.

“I think the biggest compliment you can give a pitcher is that the team feels confident every time he takes the mound,” Bochy said. “That’s where Nate is right now. The guys know he’s going to compete, no matter what the velocity says.”

For Eovaldi, the personal milestones are secondary. He’s not chasing strikeout titles or radar gun readings anymore. What matters now is durability, execution, and giving his team a chance to win. “At this stage in my career, it’s about being consistent,” he said. “If I can take the ball every fifth day and put us in a position to succeed, that’s all I’m focused on.”

Still, it’s hard not to notice how unique this run has been. Few pitchers can say their best season came after the velocity drop, after the surgeries, after the scouts began to doubt. But Eovaldi is proof that there’s more than one way to dominate on a big-league mound.

“If there ever was a thrower that became a pitcher over time,” The Athletic’s Eno Sarris wrote recently, “it’s Nathan Eovaldi.”

For fans watching in Texas, that transformation has been a revelation. The radar gun may read slower than ever, but the results have never been better. And as October approaches, one thing is clear: Nathan Eovaldi has never been more important.