Every Monday we review the nastiest pitches from the previous weekends’s games in glorious HD GIFs. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite pitch and check back this weekend to see if it will be in contention for the GIF of the First Half. Did we miss your favorite pitch? Send us a tweet next time @ThePitcherList and we’ll GIF it up + give you a shoutout here in the article.
Congrats to Aroldis Chapman’s Slider for winning Nastiest Pitching GIF of the Week! A ridiculous slider from a pitcher I’m sure we’ll be featuring more of over the course of the season.
Ricky Nolasco’s Curveball – Nolasco has had many ups and downs over his career as a vagabond back of the rotation starter. Now in Anaheim, Nolasco has always been able to miss bits, and with this pitch he spins a nice curveball that makes Nelson Cruz flinch more than a little. (Thanks to @pbhart20 for the tip).
Chris Archer’s Slider – Archer had a tough 2016 season in which he never seemed to reach the strikeout form he’s proven capable of. Archer has started 2017 rolling with a K/9 close to 9 in his first two starts. Here Archer uses his hard Slider and gets Justin Smoak to swing at a pitch darting out of the zone.
Aaron Nola’s Fastball – Many fantasy owners expect Nola to take a step forward in 2017 and establish himself as a top of the rotation starter. Nola uses his sharp command and a varied pitch mix to strike out more batters than many expected he would as a draft prospect. He showcases that pinpoint command combined with plenty of run on his Two-Seam Fastball to strike out Anthony Rendon.
Daniel Norris‘ Slider – Norris is moving past the prospect phase of his career to a new phase in which the Tigers expect him to show more consistent and stable results. The result have been mixed so far, but Norris’ stuff is undeniable. He throws a great Slider here to get Dustin Pedroia to strike out violently. (Thanks to Redditor ithrew88 for the tip!)
Vince Velasquez’s Changeup – Velasquez has the capability four plus pitches as his 10 Ks on Saturday show. Here uses his lesser known Changeup to strike out Anthony Rendon. Tough set of GIFs for Rendon.
Ryan Tepera’s Slider – I had never heard of Tepera before getting the tip for this GIF, but he struck out almost a batter an inning in 2016 and maybe those of us in holds leagues should be paying attention. Either way, the pitch here whips across the zone to get Derek Norris.
Trevor Williams‘ Fastball – With so many good relievers throughout the majors guys like Williams keep popping up on the fantasy holds radar. On a day Freddie Freeman hit 2 HRs Williams got him to K on high heat late in a close game.
GIF Of The Night
Which was your favorite pitch? Vote below and the winner will be featured in the GIF of the Week Contest.
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