Every morning, the We Love Baseball crew reviews the Nastiest Pitches from the previous day’s games. If you see something you think should be included here be sure to tweet @PitcherList to let us know. Or, if you’re a PL+ Member and part of our Discord, shout it out in the Nastiest Pitches channel.
A.J. Minter’s Slider
Sir, that man has a family! This slider from AJ Minter turns Tyrone Taylor into a pretzel, complete with salt and mustard. Taylor’s body language as he sat there on one knee says it all.
Bailey Ober’s Changeup
Bailey Ober is the man of the day from a strikeout standpoint. Ober struck out 11 Tigers on Sunday afternoon and looked nasty doing so. He earned a 52% CSW on the Changeup alone thanks to 12 whiffs on the pitch. Detroit hitters had no answer whatsoever for Ober.
John Brebbia’s Slider
I wrote way too many words below about pitch names, so here is a nasty slider from John Brebbia.
Kenta Maeda’s Splitter
Kenta Maeda came on in relief in this game, and he did pretty darn well. Maeda threw five solid innings, striking out only four but also only allowing one run on five hits. He went pitch for pitch with Bailey Ober for much of this game, and it was shades of old Maeda for a while. His splitter still is as good as it ever was.
Reynaldo López’s Slider
Reynaldo López is truly having himself one heck of a year. He only threw three innings in this outing, topping out at 57 pitches, but his stuff was as nasty as it’s been all year. This slider absolutely ate up Thursday’s hero Jeff McNeil.
Nick Sandlin’s Splitter
Nick Sandlin doesn’t get a lot of love as a middle relief option for the Guardians, but his unique arm mechanics sometimes make for some pretty nasty visuals. Even in Philly, where the camera angle is among the worst in the league, this splitter stands out and completely fools Brandon Marsh.
José Berríos‘ Slurve
Maybe I’ve been living under a rock for the past two years (partly true), but at some point in that timeframe the Slurve became an official pitch classification on Baseball Savant. I’m here for it. Is there a cooler name for a pitch than “Slurve”? Let’s rank ’em.
- Screwball – Yeah, okay, there is one better than Slurve. Maybe this one just goes back to my Backyard Baseball days, but it’s an elite pitch name regardless. Has a number of applications outside of the baseball world.
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Slurve – A Slurve is a frozen drink you should be able to order at a brewery on a hot summer day. It tastes fruity and it’s got a kick. And it’s delicious.
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Forkball – A close #3, it’s just a regular household word put in front of the word ball. And it works.
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Knuckleball – Every sports fan knows when they hear the word Knuckleball that it’s a baseball term. It transcends baseball in a way no other pitch does.
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Eephus – You don’t often see them thrown by a non-position player, but the Eephus is a bit of a legendary pitch. I have no idea what the origin story of the name is, but I imagine it’s the sound the batter makes as he tries to hold back his swing (EE) before whiffing right through it (PHUS).
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Sweeper – Another new addition to the pitch classification list, surprisingly. It reads like a pitch that Ol’ Bob “Spittoon” Nelson would have thrown in 1879. Very old-timey baseball feel.
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Fastball – This might be a controversial pick, but, like a Knuckleball, everyone knows the term Fastball originated from Baseball. Every pitcher ever has tried to improve their fastball to make it, well, faster. It’s simple and descriptive while also scaring the living daylights out of hitters for over 100 years.
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Splitter – Before I endeavored on this list, I thought Splitter would be higher. It’s got that old-timey feel but it doesn’t really pop like it used to with so many other choices. Still a solid pitch name.
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Knuckle Curve – Only this high because it has the word “Knuckle” in it. Could someone please invent the Knucklesweeper next?
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Slider – Makes me hungry thinking about mini cheeseburgers every time I hear it.
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Cutter – Appropriately next on the list. Baseball must have been invented by a bunch of chefs.
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Sinker – A+ name, but misleading. One would expect a Sinker to actually sink more than it does. Give me a Sinker with the vertical drop of a Splitter while maintaining velocity and you’ve got yourself a perfect pitch name. Yes, Jhoan Duran throws exactly that, but not everyone does. Which is why the “Splinker” should also be an official pitch classification, because it’s an entirely different pitch from the Sinker. For the record, “Splinker” would be ranked #1 on this list.
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Slow Curve – You don’t see it often. I was surprised to see Miles Mikolas throw one on Sunday. Descriptive name, but it doesn’t have the sexiness the rest of them do. Could (and should) be both named better and thrown more.
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Curveball – Another pitch with many applications outside Baseball, but it’s kind of bland in 2024. The variations are better.
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Changeup – This one probably made sense when guys only threw two pitches. In 2024, assuming the Fastball is the baseline, all of the pitches above this could also be considered a “changeup” pitch since it’s something different than ol’ reliable. Maybe it’s time to rebrand the Changeup?
Javier Assad’s Sinker
I try to incorporate a front door or back door sinker in every installment of Nastiest Pitches. However, I wouldn’t include it if the pitch didn’t deserve it. This sinker from Javier Assad absolutely deserves to be featured. It’s perfect.
Emmanuel Clase’s Slider
Emmanuel Clase has arguably been the best pitcher in all of Baseball not named Paul Skenes in 2024. Some might argue he’s been even better than Skenes. I think they’ve got a legit argument. Clase has allowed only four earned runs all season, thanks in large part to his filthy slider that takes hitters completely off guard.
Héctor Neris‘ Splitter
Finally, let’s close it out with another splitter. Héctor Neris is known for having a filthy splitter, and he’s showcased it all season long. It did work for him once again on Sunday as he earned a save for the reeling Cubs. This one fell completely off the plate and MJ Melendez stood no chance at making contact with it.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram