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.
Tarik Skubal’s Fastball
Prior to 2024, Skubal’s fastball averaged in the mid-90s. Now it averages 96.8 mph (95th percentile) and can touch 100. It’s a big reason he has been so dominant this year.
Tarik Skubal’s Changeup
Oh yeah, he also has a fantastic changeup. 96th percentile O-Swing%, 99th percentile SwStr%, 100th percentile CSW%, and 93rd percentile Str-ICR.
Cole Ragans‘ Cutter
Overall, Ragans is having a very good year, but thrown just 12% of the time the cutter isn’t a big reason for his success. Averaging 91.6 mph it has 88th percentile velocity it also gets 80th percentile iVB. It also generates an 86th percentile GB%, but other than that, it doesn’t really stand out.
Cole Ragans‘ Knucklecurve
Look at the sharp late break on that one. This is a devastating pitch when you also have to prepare for Ragans’ fastball and change. It shows in the knucklecurve’s 82nd percentile CSW%.
Cade Povich’s Changeup
This one is more about excellent placement than movement. Povich is off to a poor start to his career, but he has done a good job inducing low-quality contact. His 28.2% ICR is 98th percentile.
Gerrit Cole’s Cutter
This cutter has the movement of a slider, but the velocity of a cutter. It is also perfectly placed to induce a whiff.
Garrett Crochet’s Cutter
If Crochet is pitching on a night I’m doing Nastiest Pitches I know to look for him. Given his size and arm slot, this cutter reminds me of Randy Johnson’s slider down and into RHBs.
Blake Treinen’s Slider
Treinen has had one of the nastiest sliders in baseball for a while now. He knows it too. It’s his most used pitch at 35%. With 16″ of horizontal break, I’m not sure how anyone hits it.
Mason Miller’s Fastball
Not much needs to be said about this. 102 mph and on the corner. There’s a reason it has a 21.7% SwStr%.
Sonny Gray’s Sweeper
Gray really can spin it. His sweeper gets 82nd percentile iHB which contributes to a 47.8% O-Swing% (96th percentile) and .183 wOBA.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram