Astros Pitcher Opens Up About Potential Delivery Change Amidst New MLB Rules

Long gone are the days when MLB pitchers displayed unique windups. Nowadays, many opt to pitch out of the stretch to be quicker and more efficient to home plate.

That doesn't apply to Houston Astros starting pitcher Luis Garcia, however. Garcia infamously uses his "rock the baby" windup to disrupt batters' timing and make opposing hitters look foolish.

Unfortunately, MLB is forcing Garcia to change this windup as part of the new rule changes for 2023. The Astros right-hander opened up about these changes ahead of the season.

Houston Astros News

Somewhat surprisingly, Garcia didn't sound too concerned about what seems like a massive change to his pitching mechanics. He also indicated that the league didn't reach out to him specifically about this delivery, but the news came down from various coaches on the roster.

MLB's new pitch clock rules are the main catalyst behind this massive change to Garcia's delivery. According to Astros insider Brian McTaggart, the new rule "states a pitcher must have a clear point to begin his delivery in order to stop the pitch timer, and Garcia’s multiple steps and arm motions don’t provide that."

Houston fans are likely eager to see Garcia unveil this new-look windup. We have no idea what the new delivery will look like, but all reports suggest his "rock the baby" method is long gone.

Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.