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.
Luke Weaver’s Changeup
Weaver’s changeup has an 84th percentile SwStr% and 83rd percentile ICR. That’s a good combination. It doesn’t stand out from a stuff perspective, but it gets results.
Kevin Gausman’s Splitter
Gausman’s splitter gets 16.5″ of iHB, that’s 96th percentile. Even with that, it’s gotten more iVB than in the past. Maybe that’s why it hasn’t been as effective for him in 2024?
Tanner Houck’s Sweeper
Houck’s only used his sweeper 7% of the time this year, but he got a lot of whiffs on it today. Maybe he’s onto something. It has 80th percentile SwStr% and 72nd percentile ICR.
Seth Lugo’s Changeup
Look at the fade on this one. The lefty Harper had no chance as this one seems to slide a couple of feet away from him. Lugo sure does have a mastery of a wide variety of pitches.
A.J. Puk’s Slider
Puk’s slider is part of the reason he has become one of the game’s best relievers. It has a 95th percentile SwStr% and 90th percentile CSW%. It also has a 48.3% O-Swing%.
Ryan Helsley’s Slider
Helsley is up to 39 Saves on the season and he has a great slider, with a 96th percentile SwStr% and 97th percentile CSW%.
Taylor Rogers‘ Sweeper
Rogers had four whiffs on his sweeper today, each more absurd than the last. This one even made the catcher look silly. How is someone supposed to hit that?
Bryan Woo’s Fastball
Woo’s four-seamer had an astounding 12 whiffs. It averaged a 118 Fan 4+ on the day. Despite just slightly above-average velocity, it’s been one of the best four-seamers in 2024, with a 98th percentile Str-ICR.
Zebby Matthews‘ Slider
Zebby’s career is off to a good start. This slider generates a pathetic “swing” from Masyn Winn.
Yusei Kikuchi’s Curveball
He wasn’t quite as dominant today, but Kikuchi has been great since going to Houston. This is a pretty curveball.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram