Garrett Crochet’s sinker
All of Garrett Crochet’s pitches had been actually good. Besides his changeup. That one was simply okay. His four-seam was dominant, his cutter racked up strikes, and no person may contact his sweeper. What made him really nice, nonetheless, was his sinker. Final season, lefties had a .307 on-base proportion towards Crochet. He began throwing the sinker in August 2024. No one hit it out of the infield.
This season, he ramped up the utilization, throwing it 37% of the time towards lefties. He situated it over the within a part of the plate, and no person may sq. up the ball. Lefties hit .176 towards the pitch with a 70% floor ball charge. Their on-base proportion towards Crochet fell from .307 to .193. Based on this man named Rick and this different man named Rob on Twitter, that’s the ninth-lowest OBP within the historical past of the game. I don’t know if that’s true or not, however there’s a elaborate graphic, so I’m inclined to consider them. Crochet was already good when he was acquired, however the sinker made him elite.
Aroldis Chapman’s slider
When Aroldis Chapman was signed, it was questioned for extra causes than one. By way of on-field causes, walks had been an enormous issue. Previous to this season, Chapman had registered a stroll charge over 14% in every of his earlier 4 seasons. This yr, he minimize his stroll charge down to six.6%, making him probably the most dominant relievers within the league.
It was reported that utilizing PitchCom to name for pitch places, relatively than simply aiming for the center and letting it rip, was a part of the rationale for Chapman’s improved command. Together with his newfound location, it additionally unlocked his slider. In 2024, about 70% of his sliders had been thrown to the arm aspect or down the center. About 50% had been middle-height or larger. In 2025, he noticed the ball on the glove aspect 51% of the time and low 61% of the time. With hitters frightened about in-zone velocity, the slider returned an enormous 34% putaway charge. It’s additionally hilarious watching a hitter gear up for a 101 mph fastball solely to see an 86 mph slider.
By pure stuff, Brayan Bello’s cutter wasn’t his greatest pitch. That honor in all probability goes to his sinker for its strike-getting, floor ball-inducing capability. However, his cutter was a brand new pitch that modified his method fully.
By the tip of the season, his cutter was his second-most-used pitch. In opposition to lefties, he threw the pitch on the glove aspect for backdoor known as strikes. The 68% strike charge was the very best mark he’s had towards lefties since 2023. He pitched from optimistic counts extra typically, serving to him lower his wOBA allowed towards lefties from .348 to .305. In idea, it additionally ought to have unlocked his changeup. He wasn’t in a position to execute the changeup continuously, nevertheless it was one other pitch to throw on the arm aspect to make his sluggish ball appear extra tempting.
On the finish of the season, he began attempting to go inside with it to lefties, I’d assume to attempt to jam them for floor balls and to arrange the entrance hip sinker. It didn’t work very properly, nevertheless it’s a cool thought and one thing to observe. Utilizing the entire plate is an effective factor, and the cutter is a technique for Bello to strive to try this.
Garrett Whitlock’s slider
When Garrett Whitlock burst onto the scene in 2021, his changeup was his bread and butter. After accidents and strikes to and from the rotation, Whitlock returned to the bullpen in 2025 and reinvented himself, kinda. His pitch combine remained the identical, however his slider was his greatest secondary pitch. He threw the pitch tougher than in every other yr in his profession, and with extra depth. He situated it low and on the glove aspect towards each lefties and righties. In opposition to lefties, he broke the pitch out in two-strike counts, returning an 18.6% swinging strike charge, 80% floor ball charge, and .094 batting common towards.
What a second it gave us.
