Every morning, the We Love Baseball crew reviews the Nastiest Pitches from the previous day’s games in glorious high-definition GIFs. We want to bring you the highest caliber of nastiness possible, so if you see a nasty pitch, please tell us about it. You can tweet @PitcherList to let us know and we’ll give you a shout-out here in the article if your tip makes the cut.
As a bonus for PL+ members, let us know about a pitch on the PL+ Discord in the Nasty Pitches Channel, and if your suggestion is included the next day, you’ll be entered into a weekly drawing for a free T-shirt!
Ryne Harper’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/nastythosegoitered
This game was plagued by some really awful camera work…
Your camera angle is a joke @Cardinals pic.twitter.com/gD4rfMDQKs
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) February 28, 2021
… So the fact that we’re including any pitches from this game is quite shocking. But it was slim pickings on Sunday, and this curveball totally fooled the one and only Paul Goldschmidt. Ryne Harper is fighting for a middle relief spot in the Nationals’ bullpen, and he looked alright on Sunday. His curveball clocks in around 69 MPH on average (nice) and gets over 70 inches of vertical movement, but only time will tell if it will be enough to get him a spot on the major league roster.
John Gant’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/floweryrequiredbuckeyebutterfly
This was one of the very few pitches that you could see some movement on in this game, and it sure did have some filthy movement. I had totally forgotten about Josh Bell’s trade to Washington so it was a bit shocking to see him in a Nationals’ uniform, but I wasn’t shocked to see he’s still taking giant hacks at fastballs and whiffing. John Gant is likely on the outside looking in at a rotation spot, but an injury to Miles Mikolas could give Gant the opportunity he needs.
Miles Mikolas, originally set to start Monday's sim game, will have his first appearance of spring pushed back. He has thrown live BP, and coming out of that, #Cardinals are "cautious, for now." #stlcards
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) February 28, 2021
Kumar Rocker’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/unsungfarflungalligator
If you haven’t heard the name Kumar Rocker yet, you will soon. He will, in all likelihood, be the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft, and he already has three legitimate pitches (Fastball, Slider, Changeup) and just introduced a cutter this season which we should see plenty of. Rocker struck out six over five innings against Georgia State on Sunday in his 2nd start of the year. He’s Vanderbilt’s ace (along with fellow future MLB ace Jack Leiter) and should help lead the Vandy Boys to the College World Series once again in 2021.
Asher Wojciechowski’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/agitatedforsakenamericanmarten
After coming on in relief and letting the first two batters that he saw reach base, this was a tough spot for Asher Wojciechowski. In a 3-2 count he needed an out in the worst way, and he sure as heck got it here with a nasty breaker low and away to a flailing Danny Jansen. Woj has some pretty good stuff and has put it all together in the past, and hopefully, he’ll have a chance to contribute to a Yankees team with World Series aspirations.