Pitcher List was founded on the back of filthy pitches, and we strive to bring you the best of the best every day. However, with over 70+ pitches featured every week, there is a lot to sort through. We ask you, the readers, to vote for your favorite every day, and now is your chance to crown the best of the week.
Every week, we will be featuring the top pitches from each day as voted on by the readers. Then, every Tuesday, you’ll have a chance to vote for your favorite of the week. Make your voice heard in the comments, on Twitter, and in our Discord for which pitch you think is the best!
4/25 – Corbin Burnes‘ Cutter
https://gfycat.com/backspanishdikkops
The reigning NL Cy Young winner has picked up right where he left off. His cutter is once again one of the nastiest pitches in baseball, with a 38.2% CSW which is good for third-best among cutters in the entire league. Anytime you can get a red-hot hitter like Joc Pederson to whiff at a pitch off the plate, you know you’ve done something nasty.
4/25 – Nathan Eovaldi’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/decisivewatchfulamphiuma
With Chris Sale on the shelf, the Red Sox needed someone in their rotation to step up and be their ace. Michael Wacha has pitched very well, but he’s no ace. Nathan Eovaldi, however, has been that ace, allowing no more than three runs in any of his starts. He held the mighty Blue Jays to two runs in seven strong innings on Monday, and this splitter against one of the most dangerous hitters in the league was his best pitch of the night.
4/26 – Justin Lawrence’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/briskfluffyincatern
This pitch passes the “oof” test in a big way, thanks in part to how it eats the batter up but also because of the filthy late movement that’s simply unhittable. Justin Lawrence’s slider is a bit of an under-the-radar pitch, as it doesn’t come to mind as quickly as Tanner Houck and Blake Treinen’s sliders when talking about the nastiest sliders in the league. But it’s up there, and this is further evidence of just how nasty it is.
4/27 – Pablo López’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/bolddishonestdodobird
There’s something in the water down in Miami because between Sandy Alcantara and Pablo López I think Miami may have the two nastiest changeups in baseball right now. Alcantara’s changeup was featured in week one’s Nastiest Pitches and now we’ve got Lopez throwing junk as well. Miami is currently second in the NL East and I don’t think they’re going away anytime soon.
4/28 – Tarik Skubal’s Knuckle Curve
https://gfycat.com/fluffysophisticatedcrane
Camera angles are so important in the Nastiest Pitches world. A bad angle can hide the movement on a great pitch and make it look very average. Even the best ballpark camera angles have a hard time showing off the movement for lefties, and Target Field isn’t perfect. But it’s still better than Comerica Park, where Tarik Skubal calls home, and we get to enjoy this beautiful knuckle curve as a result.
4/28 – Kyle Wright’s Curveball
https://gfycat.com/rewardingrightbuckeyebutterfly
Kyle Wright has two pitches featured in last week’s weekly Nastiest Pitches roundup, so are you surprised to see us going back to the tank for yet another one this week? You shouldn’t be. And we’ll likely see him next week as well. The man is locked and loaded and is giving me big-time 2021 Corbin Burnes vibes.
4/29 – Lucas Giolito’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/jitterydeficientbrahmancow
I find it so interesting how different pitchers can throw the same pitch in different ways. Case in point, compare the ridiculous movement in the Pablo López GIF above to this GIF of Lucas Giolito’s changeup. Same pitch, same result, yet a completely different look. Absolutely gorgeous.
4/29 – Tanner Houck’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/forthrightdimpledbighornedsheep
The nastiest slider in the American League was at it once again last week, as Tanner Houck found his way back into game action after a COVID vaccination-related hiatus while the team was in Toronto. The pitch hasn’t quite had the results we all wanted this year, earning a rather pedestrian (by Houck’s standards) 30.2% CSW on the year. Hopefully, as the weather in Boston heats up, so will Houck’s slider.
4/30 – Shane McClanahan’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/unhappyalertbrahmancow
Did you know that Shane McClanahan has the highest overall CSW% among all starters and the fifth-highest among all pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched? I knew he’s been filthy this year but I didn’t know he was THAT filthy. This is the third time McClanahan has been featured in the weekly Nastiest Pitches roundup and the second time for the changeup.
5/1 – Kevin Gausman’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/politeimpossibleamethystgemclam
McClanahan might be the top CSW dog for the starters, but Kevin Gausman is hot on his tracks at number seven on the list. I’ve seen a lot of Gausman’s splitters over the last few years and this is one of the nastiest I’ve ever seen.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)