"Last spring, before his shoulder betrayed him, Chris Young planned to call Curt Schilling. Young hoped to pick the brain of Schilling, the former ace, about a pitch he mastered, the split-fingered fastball.

But then Young's health intervened and his season was redirected. He never spoke with Schilling. A year later, healthy and throwing well for the Mets, he has the time to fiddle with the splitter as he competes for a position in the starting rotation.

After retiring all six batters he faced, he reported progress in his fastball, curveball and slider. He did not throw his splitter. He's currently "tinkering" with it, he said.

"So if I can bring that along," Young said after a breezy two-inning appearance in his Grapefruit League debut, "I think that'll be a good pitch I can use to bounce down in the zone."

Because of his 6-foot-10 frame, Young often pitches high in the strike zone.

That leads to a majority of fly outs. But the splitter, he explained, would work with a lower fastball around the batters' knees.

Young is benefited by his relationship with starter Mike Pelfrey, who he plays catch with everyday. Pelfrey developed a splitter last year. Young hopes to debut his version during spring training. "