This Small Change Will Make George Kirby a Cy Young Contender

In March of 2025, Seattle Mariners ace candidate George Kirby faced the first major injury scare of his career: right shoulder inflammation that shut him down for the first month+ of the season.

When Kirby returned in May, something had changed.

His arm slot dropped from 37° to 29°, completely altering the movement profile of every pitch in his arsenal. His splitter disappeared. His ERA jumped. But beneath the surface, the data told a very different story.

His strikeout rate surged.
His breaking balls became nastier than ever.
And he recorded TWO games with 14 strikeouts and 0 walks — the first time a Mariners pitcher has done this even ONCE since 1997.

In this deep dive, we break down:

• The biomechanics behind Kirby’s arm slot change
• Why lower arm slots may reduce stress on the shoulder and elbow
• How his pitch movement changed across his entire arsenal
• Why his splitter disappeared in 2025
• And why 2026 could be the year George Kirby becomes a true ace in Seattle

The ERA may have gone up in 2025, but the advanced metrics suggest something very different is happening.

If Kirby regains his splitter with his new mechanics, the ceiling might be higher than ever.

Let’s dive into the data.

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