As MLB.com introduces free agent pitchers, we’ve picked the best in each category. We highlighted the best of the best in nine different categories. We excluded Aaron Nola, who signed a big contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
For the most powerful four-seam fastball, we chose Jordan Hicks. Hicks averaged 100.3 miles per hour (161.4 km/h) on his four-seam fastball this season between the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays. He topped out at 103.8 miles per hour (167.0 km/h) on his four-seam fastball last year.
MLB.com ranked Josh Hader and Eduardo Rodriguez as the top sinker and cutter pitchers. Hader has averaged a 96.1 mph (154.7 km/h) sinker this year. He held batters to a .190 batting average with 48 strikeouts. Rodriguez’s main weapon was a cutter that struck out left and right. He cooked hitters with a cutter in the low 80s mph (about 142-143 kilometers per hour) backed by a perfect delivery.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s curve was considered the best, and Blake Snell’s slider was considered the best. Yamamoto averages 77 miles per hour (123.9 km/h) on his curveball, which reaches an RPM of 2809. He freezes hitters in their tracks with his massive rotation and drop. Snell, who won the National League Cy Young Award this season, averaged 88.4 miles per hour (142.3 kilometers per hour) on his slider, making hitters’ bats spin. Since 2020, he has a .143 batting average against sliders.
Listed Sonny Gray and Marcus Stroman among his sweepers and slurve craftsmen. Gray, who finished second in the American League Cy Young Award this season, is a top-notch sweeper. He has 108 strikeouts this season with his sweeper as his deciding pitch. Stroman has had a lot of fun with his fastball 아톰카지노. He has 35 strikeouts this season with his slurve.
The best changeups and splitters were Lucas Giolito and Shohei Ohtani. Giolito often used his exquisite changeup along the borderline as his deciding pitch. Like the “Korean Monster” Ryu Hyun-jin, he used his changeup to work the count and use it as a deciding pitch. Ohtani’s best splitter made batters’ bats spin. His batting average on splitters was just 0.103. He mixed his splitter with a four-seam fastball that topped 100 miles per hour (about 160.9 kilometers per hour) to overwhelm hitters.
