from Amazon
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The best and worst 82mph fastball in baseball
Dave points out that it could belong to the same pitcher:
That’s his arsenal. An 80-84 MPH cut fastball. That’s it. He throws that pitch, and that pitch only, 99% of the time. He also has thrown this loopy 72 MPH curveball a couple of times this year, but practically every pitch he throws, in every game, is this low-80s fastball with some tailing action away from right-handers. I faced guys in high school who had better stuff than this.
However, whatever DiFelice does to his cut fastball, or however he hides the ball, or whatever voodoo spell he chants before he pitches, it works wonders against right-handed bats. Here’s his career splits since joining Milwaukee:
Vs RHB: .149/.192/.202, 120 PA
Vs LHB: .321/.357/.717, 56 PA
I presume it’s location, location, location?
Is it possible that the pitch breaks late? All other things equal, a pitch that breaks late would probably be more effective than a pitch that breaks early.