28
7
Because...
YOUR FAVORITE
PITCHER’S
FAVORITE
PITCH ISN’T A
FASTBALLAfter decades
as baseball’s
most popular
pitch, the
fastball is
losing its grip
on the title.
With more
focus on
engineering
elite secondary
pitches, the
rate of heaters
has fallen, per
Statcast: In
2019, it hit the
lowest number
ever recorded,
52.0%, down
from 56.8%
in ’15. Fewer
fastballs
mean more
curveballs,
changeups
and sliders.
It also means
’20 could
be the first
season on
record in
which less
than half of
all pitches
are fastballs.
But hold the
obituaries:
The heaters
may be less
frequent, but
they’re faster
than ever,
up from an
average of
92.7 mph
in ’15 to
93.1 mph
in ’19. —E.B.TURN DOWN THE HEAT
For the second straight
year, Reds righty Sonny
Gray upped his slider
(21.6%) and curveball usage
(24.7%). Meanwhile, Gray’s
fastball accounted for less
than half of all pitches he
threw (47.2%). He wound up
with a career-best 5.6 WAR.