The Good Stuff
Photo Credit: Guardians Nation
The MLB has seen no shortage of elite pitching in 2024. Whether its new stars like Paul Skenes or Tarik Skubal rising to stardom, or old vets like Chris Sale resurging, there’s been filthy pitching all season. As the all-star break has passed, we’ve decided to look back on some of these stars, and using their unique pitches compiled what we believe to be the most dominant pitch arsenal.
4-Seam Fastball: Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians
Stats: 18 Run Value, 41.3 K%, .258 SLG, 67.8% Usage
Not the name one would expect in this slot, but Cade Smith’s four seamer has actually been the best pitch by run value of the season, according to Statcast data. The Cleveland reliever has relied heavily on the heater, throwing it nearly 70% of the time. The pitch, which sits at around 96 mph, has helped Smith accumulate 67 punch outs in 47 innings of work. There were plenty of other candidates for the four-seamer, such as the overpowering stuff of Mason Miller (8 RV, 41.6 K%), or the sneakily impressive fastballs of Tanner Scott (12 RV, .101 SLG) or Tayler Scott (10 RV, .105 SLG). Smith gets the nod instead.
Sinker: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
Stats: 14 Run Value, 29.7 Whiff %, .189 SLG, 30.0% Usage
Unlike Smith, Skenes making the list was an obvious choice. Since entering the league he has flummoxed hitters with his darting sinker. Despite still not having enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, Skenes leads pitchers in sinker run value at 14. He throws it nearly as much as his four-seamer, and averages 95 mph on the sinker ball. His sinker has the second- highest amount of vertical movement in the bigs, averaging over 30 inches of drop on the pitch. Other top sinkers in the league include the likes of Zack Wheeler (10 RV, .231 SLG), or Tarik Skubal (9 RV, .217 wOBA).
Cutter: Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians
Stats: 16 Run Value, 23.1 Whiff %, .218 SLG, 81.5% Usage
First Cade Smith, now Clase; it’s clear to see that the Guardians bullpen is loaded with nasty stuff. Clase’s cutter will strike fear into any hitter, regularly coming in at speeds of 99-101 mph. Give that sort of velocity 3.6 inches of horizontal break, and Clase’s 0.78 ERA begins to make some sense. Clase throws the cutter a ridiculous 81.5% of the time, the highest usage percentage of any pitcher besides Kenley Jansen, who throws his own cutter 89.5% of the time. Southpaw Garrett Crochet (13 RV, 37.0 K%) makes the list of honorable mentions, in addition to fellow lefties Genesis Cabrera (10 RV, .183 SLG) and Jose Alvarado (49.2 K%, .153 SLG).
Curveball: Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers
Stats: 6 Run Value, 46.2 Whiff %, .195 SLG, 18.2% Usage
Realistically, Glasnow could be on this list for his fastball and his slider as well- his stuff is just that good. The flamethrower has utilized the curve 18% of the time to great effect, racking up an impressive 57.1 K% on the pitch. Hitters are batting only .104 against Glasnow’s hook, with much thanks to its heavy drop. It’s a true 12-6 curveball, and when paired with an elevated fastball tunnels perfectly. Other top curves in the league belong to Seth Lugo, whose hook spins at a league-high 3273 RPM, or Aaron Nola, whose knuckle curve (10 RV, 35.0 Whiff %) has some of the sharpest break of any pitch in the league.
Slider: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves
Stats: 14 Run Value, 41.9 Whiff %, .233 SLG, 39.2% Usage
A pitch for the Hall of Fame, Sale has essentially returned to his prime in 2024, and his slider has too. The southpaw’s slider comes from a near-sidearm arm slot and breaks all the way to a right hander’s back foot. It’s no surprise it’s the most valuable breaking ball by run value (14). In Sale’s return from injury, his slider has been the pitch that has vaulted him into Cy Young contention. Some other filthy sliders/sweepers belong to JoJo Romero, who has a .077 batting average against his slider, Colin Rea’s sweeper (9 RV, .070 SLG), or Ronel Blanco, who also has a run value of 14 on his slide-piece.
Split-Finger: Mark Leiter Jr., Chicago Cubs
Stats: Run 5 Value, 63.2 Whiff %, .057 SLG, 33.0% Usage
As opposed to a change-up, we went the split-finger route for this arsenal. No one has thrown the split quite as successfully in 2024 as Mark Leiter Jr. of the Cubs. The pitch has been the pinnacle of dominance- batters whiff on the pitch 63.2% of the time. Leiter throws the split a third of the time, and has yet to give up an extra base hit on it. At 84 mph, the split-finger seems to just fall off the table as it approaches the strike zone. Paired with a stronger fastball than the one Leiter boasts, the pitch would only become more potent. Fernando Cruz (8 RV, .125 SLG), Cal Quantrill (10 RV, .251 SLG), and Taj Bradley (7 RV, .196 SLG) have seen their fair share of success with the pitch as well.
Screwball: Brent Honeywell, Los Angeles Dodgers
Stats: 1 Run Value, 16.7 K%, .000 SLG, 19.9% Usage
Does Brent Honeywell only have eight innings of work in 2024? Yes. Is that going to stop me from adding one of the most rare pitches in the MLB to my dream arsenal? Absolutely not. The Dodgers reliever throws one of the most perplexing off-speed pitches in the league, and is the only person that throws it regularly. His screwball comes in at roughly 81 mph.
Honorable Mentions:
In this section, I wanted to highlight a few pitches that look really cool, but may not necessarily be the most effective. Matt Waldron throws the only knuckleball in the league, and despite its -1 run value, can be counted on to find a highlight reel every now and then for some crazy movement. Michael King has some of the filthiest movement in the league; his sweeper/sinker is a terrific one-two punch. Both pitches have sharp break in exact opposite directions, leaving hitters with no option but to guess which is coming when King tunnels them properly. Lastly, give me Tyler Rogers rising slider. Due to his uncanny, submarine delivery, Rogers’s slider quite literally rises as it breaks towards the mound. He’s been unlucky so far on the pitch this season (.336 xSLG/.471 SLG), but when it’s on it’s untouchable.