The four-seam fastball and splitter overlap, while his sinker and cutter are a mere inches away, likely unnoticeable differences to the hitter. This is an ideal feature of Tanaka's split, but not everything to it. Movement and velocity are contributors to its effectiveness, too. Tanaka's high-velocity pitches all move differently.
The chart above plots how far his fastball-type offerings drop relative to his horizontal release point. The split pink dot makes the most dramatic drop downward of the group, as expected. Most importantly, it plummets significantly below it's main buffer, the four-seamer black dot. And again, with a consistent throwing angle, it's hard for any batter to know where any of these four are destined.
Plus, with a five to six MPH difference against the fastball, the split can act like a changeup, increasing the probability of a whiff. Basically, the best chance for a hitter against a well executed Tanaka splitter is to know it's coming.
The early results are exciting, but it's truly the mechanics behind the pitch that speak most to its excellence. He may only be two starts into his career, but it's easy to see why the Yankees envisioned Tanaka blossoming at the top of the rotation. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.
What specifically makes this pitch so effective? Because the pitch is designed to look like a fastball out of the hand, the hitter is forced to commit to his swing early, causing him to be out in front as it bottoms out. With this sizable velo gap, along with less RPMs of spin, and Additionally, when comparing this particular offering to similar pitches within plus or minus 2 MPH and 0.
Due to this drastic change in spin axis, the hitter has a much tougher time recognizing the pitch out of the hand. Kevin Gausman, Wicked Splitters. It is important to note that there is no cookie-cutter strategy to throwing an effective splitter. Pitchers should experiment with different grips and finger pressures in order to build a movement profile that works well in their individual pitch arsenal.
I really believe pitchers should be working to develop more velocity, movement, and control of their fastball and that over-use of the splitter may hinder the development of good velocity. Remember this: Even though this site describes a method of throwing five or six different pitches, it does not mean any pitcher should attempt to learn or throw all these pitches.
High school and college pitchers should try to master just three pitches. Even many major league pitchers are successful with three basic pitches. Some may add a specialty or fourth pitch as they get more experienced.
Youth pitchers 14 and under should concentrate on developing the fastball and learning to throw it to spots, plus learning to change speeds on the pitch. The breaking pitches create more stress on the elbow joint and bicep in young pitchers may not be developed enough to properly decelerate the forearm. One of the big misconceptions in baseball is that playing the game keeps you in shape to pitch. I wish that was true.
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