Is the splitter a good pitch?

The split-finger fastball is a very effective pitch with runners on base. A common tactic is using the split-finger to cause the batter to hit into a double play. When thrown correctly, the split-finger’s apparent last second drop causes many batters to hit the top half of the baseball therefore inducing a ground ball.

What does a splitter pitch do?

Definition. A pitcher throws a splitter by gripping the ball with his two fingers “split” on opposite sides of the ball. When thrown with the effort of a fastball, the splitter will drop sharply as it nears home plate. A splitter is generally only slightly faster than a changeup.

Does a splitter hurt your arm?

Hold a baseball with a splitter grip. Right away, you’ll notice the extra tension it puts on your elbow and forearm when compared to a fastball grip. 2010 was a good year health-wise for splitter-throwing pitchers. Penny accounted for nearly half the time missed, and his injury was an oblique strain.

What is a cutter in baseball?

Definition. A cutter is a version of the fastball, designed to move slightly away from the pitcher’s arm-side as it reaches home plate. When thrown from a right-handed pitcher to a left-handed hitter, or a lefty pitcher to a righty hitter, a cutter will quickly move in toward a hitter’s hands.

Do forkball hurt your arm?

At first glance, I found only two pitches that haven’t been thrown in the majors this season: the forkball and the screwball. It turns out that their absence stems from a similar cause: They kill arms. But having the fingers split apart puts stress on the elbow, which led to a rash of injuries among forkball pitchers.

What’s the difference between a forkball and a splitter?

In a lot of ways, the two pitches are similar, but the forkball features less dramatic movement. Unlike the splitter where the ball sharply breaks downwards, with forkball the drop is more gradual. It’s slower than the splitter and is considered the slowest fastball with an average speed between 75 and 85 mph.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1u-V2Cg54I