Some Pitches are Just a Waste of Time.

[@DanBlewett]

My new book is here! Read it now: geni.us/clean-your-cleats

[@TheRealBruceLouis]

that was by far the best answer ive seen for why screwballs have died out. practical, insightful and straight to the point. why is a screwball not effective? its telegraphed cuz of ur arm action and it just doesnt have the same sharp break as a curveball/slider because of the physics of pronation itself. so why pitch a screwball when a circle change is just that much more effective at doing the same thing.

[@DanBlewett]

yep, that's correct. harder with less break is better than bigger but slower, hence the changeup works and the screwball doesnt.

[@angrybanana6223]

Mike King, Kluber, among others use "slurves" as a tunnel from their sinker/cutter combo. The hard sinker, cutter, slurve combo is becoming more prevalent as things like pitch shape and seam shifted wake become more popular.

[@DanBlewett]

meh. Gigantic difference between an MLB pitcher making a curveball slightly slurvier than normal, and an amateur kid throwing a slurve, which are in almost all instances junk pitches with poor spin

[@richardpeck5992]

I played modified fast pitch softball in 1980-1986 in Boston and was taught to throw a knuckleball. The way I described the pitch was, " it either made the batter look like he was swinging it blank air air or it was a big as a watermelon". It hurt my hand to throw these, but as I said.....when it worked, it was very effective! Mixed with a curve and fastball, helped me win 20 games one year.

[@davidboatman925]

Your intensity to detail matches your pitching personality. Love it!

[@deepzone31]

There are certain guys who tend to struggle with only two pitches working well on a certain day. That's the benefit of the 4th pitch. On the other hand I find that the refinement of the tunneling concept has made two complementary plus pitches much more devastating than in the past. Thanks for sharing. FWIW a high school friend of mine killed his elbow throwing screwballs. The split also is a recipe for Tommy John after a while. Cutters are awesome.

[@eligoodrich2029]

My son worked with a coach a couple years ago, the only pitch he taught was a 2 seam. So many of his teammates couldn't get it to move and they still were told to throw it in games. We didn't win a lot of games that season.

[@ronnieallen3897]

As a former pro pitcher myself, I'd say some of the nastiest, wiffleball-esque breaking balls thrown have been technically slurves.

[@aidencortez5490]

Sometimes it has so much sweep+break, that it ends up being called a slurve. Pitchers such as Charlie Morton, Jose Berrios, Ryan Pressly, Dellin Betances, Kerry Wood, and Stephen Strasburg get that treatment.

[@maleake56]

Now I know why the screwball is rarely used. That makes a lot of sense. As a young kid growing up in southern California and first becoming interested in baseball, I used to watch Sandy Koufax pitch a lot. To your point about what you really need as a pitcher, Koufax was amazing and dominating with just three pitches--a fastball, a curve and a change-up.

[@ZaneSchlegelmilch]

Splitter# Bruce sutter threw 95%splitters. He could throw them at the knees for strikes and in the dirt for swings and misses. Also fred breining threw his forkball 90%of the time,exactly like sutter did. You are wrong about this as well. When I was in the minors in the 80s I also could throw the splitter for strikes at the knee and misses. In the dirt.. my velocity was just to slow. I was a free agent non draft minor leaguer signed for my splitter.

[@thomaswolf723]

Koufax relied almost solely on a fast ball and a 12 to 6 curve. He may have experimented at times with a change or a fork ball, they were generally part of his repetoire.

[@McTysauce]

A good changeup is just as if not more effective than a screwball, and much easier to control.

[@McTysauce]

@@thomaswolf723Koufax is an outlier he was throwing mid 90’s when the average fastball was in the 86-89 range.

[@peachablemacaw]

This guy is all over it. Very, very knowledgeable and on the mark. Great pitching coach!

[@beezie2566]

As a lefty pitcher, I only threw a two seam fastball. It's all about arm slot. A 10 or 11 o clock arm slot(1 and 2 for right handed) gets some crazy run.

[@endymion30]

Love these videos, it’s encouraging me to get out and practice pitching even if i it’s just to get out of my house Funny enough I’ve been playing mlb the show 22, my character is a knuckleballer and my favorite combo is a low knuckleball, low screwball and a high cutter Even funnier is I kept trying to increase my knuckleballs speed not realizing it wasn’t designed for it till i got to the majors

[@realdeal3554]

Enjoyed the video a lot it made me laugh when you got to splits because when I played from little league through high school I developed a knuckly forkball and a ok splitter because I was never able to control my change up lol

[@mrmeme-jq6qr]

Nice video might as well throw change up here too, this pitch has gotten bigger and it seems just as rare as a knkle curve

[@kevinnoll4745]

My grandsons 4 seamer runs a good 8 inches in almost like a screwball would...he is 14 started working with a pitching coach thats wants him to get over the top off the ball more which is fine...but told him dont ever not remember how you throw that running pitch...its a last second run it amazed me no wonder i had such trouble catching him

[@nolananderson2514]

Hey coach.Going into my second year of Bronco and I’m thinking Of trying different pitches for my sinker,4seam combo.Maybe a breaking ball.My circle change gets good armside movement.But I don’t think I’m throwing it often enough.So my question is to work on my change up more or add a curve.Thank you!

[@DanBlewett]

changeup

[@nolananderson2514]

Thanks man!

[@noahriv4224]

my coach wants me to throw a cutter but only when i’m facing a lefty(i’m right handed) i’m a senior in high school and top out at about 84/85

[@DanBlewett]

not necessary. High school hitters suck; a good breaking ball, good location and a good changeup is more than enough.

[@noahriv4224]

@@DanBlewett thanks. i’ll tell my coach

[@DanBlewett]

cutters are hard to learn. I get the need to go in to lefties (it was how I used mine) but it's just not necessary at that level.

[@noahriv4224]

@@DanBlewett i’ve thrown a cutter ever since i was about 12. stopped from ages 14-16 but just picked it back up junior year

[@DanBlewett]

as I explained, it really doesnt make sense at your level/age.

[@josephmannix5120]

I like the cutter I can throw it the same speed as my four seamer and it cuts in a couple inches I can’t really see it move that much but when I play catch with it I usually hand cuff my partner

[@jackcerven2415]

Well yeah if you can throw it thats great but I think he means unless your already pretty good at it you should probably scrap it and go for a pitch easier to learn because cutters are pretty tough

[@josephmannix5120]

@@jackcerven2415 ya that’s true it took a while to learn it but if you have a good feel for the ball and how to make it moveit gets easier

[@porterblackwell4902]

I'm just going to say if u starts the knuckleball early and keep fiddling around with it then it will be the best possible pitch to throw due to hitters never seeing one I mean u see a curve, slider, etc but I never see a knuckleball and very few can hit it

[@DanBlewett]

yeah but it wont get you into college.

[@JesusGonzalez-yk7nd]

What about a sinker or circle change ?

[@NateDogMXtv]

What about using the 2 seam as your normal pitching fastball. After the batter had seen it couple of times or more, gas em up with a four seam? In effect a fast changeup?

[@DanBlewett]

Nah. Two-seam shouldnt be more than 1-2 mph slower than the 4-seamer, so that doesn't work. It's not even close to being a changeup. If its slower than 2mph than something is very wrong.

[@davidmadrid8637]

Do have a question about 2 seamer, in my kids 9U team most of the kids can only grip the 2 seamer comfortably. Is there different way to grip 4 seamer for the younger kids learning to pitch?

[@DanBlewett]

Ive never met a kid who can't grip a 4-seamer, nor have I heard that before

[@DarbyGugliotta215]

I've seen videos of people throwing screwballs and been amazed by the way the break opposite of the pitchers dominant hand side. Are there other, easier, more conventional pitches that break to the left like this?

[@DanBlewett]

no, and screwballs basically are too soft-breaking to work at levels of play past high school. there's a reason theyre not thrown anymore

[@timdixon32]

The 2-seamer always confused me. My 4-seam actually has a lot of run and sink so people always thought it was a 2-seam. But a 2-seam never actually moves much for me.

[@itsMakkura]

He’s talked about how to keep your 4 seam from running. In a nutshell, it’s leaving your index and middle finger at an angle since your middle finger is longer. Play with the grip a little.

[@timdixon32]

@@itsMakkura thing is, I don’t want it to stop moving. Some people tell me it shouldn’t, but it works for me.

[@timdixon32]

@Trigger Warning sounds like a beast

[@timdixon32]

@Trigger Warning appreciate it man!

[@bradydavis11]

Appreciate the video!

[@kargo1359]

what about robby rowland? He throws a curveball and a slurve.

[@DanBlewett]

name an MLB pitcher who throws a slurve

[@Strattbatt]

@@DanBlewettJose Berrios

[@Nighthawk4819]

Should I throw with a normal curveball grip or a knuckle curve grip because all my coaches say I should throw it normal but i have more feel for it using a knuckle curve grip

[@DanBlewett]

the index finger placement doesnt matter that much, so if you throw a better breaker with a knuckle grip, then go for it. search for my knuckle curve video on my channel.

[@SwordHMX]

Some of the pronation I am seeing on changeups these days look just as extreme as a screwball. It seems like the circle change has replaced the function of the screwball. John Smoltz recommends not trying a slider until age 20, and my understanding is that the two split finger pitches are in the same vein.

[@DanBlewett]

yeah thats mostly accurate, though John Smoltz' recommendation makes no sense at all. Waiting until 20 is waiting until most pitchers' careers are over. Nonsensical.

[@SwordHMX]

@@DanBlewett I might not have remembered it entirely correctly.

[@isaiah5494]

Hey Dan, I'm 14 about to turn 15 and I'm thinking about picking up baseball again. I haven't played organized ball in 5-6 years. Is it too late to try and catch my skills up or should I not bother

[@mmsculley958]

Its never too late

[@f1david]

Give it go. You will never know unless you try. But you are going to have to be willing to put the time in.

[@DanBlewett]

no one knows, but you are certainly way behind.

[@kgsports4348]

this guy: cutters are mid corbin burnes: excuse me?

[@DanBlewett]

Was this video for major leaguers? No. It’s for amateur kids. And cutters are wrong for amateur kids.

[@kgsports4348]

i get what your saying but there are several guys that i’ve gone up against this year along with me my self that have good cutters and to me it’s a deadly pitch if you can get it right which is something i’ve managed to do and it’s a huge part in my arsenal since i pitched last night and most of my strikeouts were from cutters but you are correct it’s a very hard pitch to master but i also think that if you can high schoolers and middle schoolers (my age) should throw it since it works well.

[@13u.Jabroni]

I'm a youth pitcher, just turned 13, and i throw about 48-53 I recently have been struggling, went from a bad 2 seam then couldn't get control on my 4 seam then tried a different 2 seamer, I just developed my cutter, a small amount of break great control and good speed, I try to get backdoor like Corbin Burnes. It is definitely hard and if you can just throw a 4 seamer do it!

[@Drbob369]

MLB announcers never explain this type of thing about how to throw various pitchs good work

[@delcy28]

Do you have a suggestion for a 12 yo pitch that has some movement?

[@DanBlewett]

changeup.

[@josephmannix5120]

What should I do if I struggle with curveball wrist angle

[@DanBlewett]

wrist angle doesnt matter

[@josephmannix5120]

@@DanBlewett I meant having a straight wrist because I’m straight over the top and sometimes my wrist folds and I get bad spin on it

[@DanBlewett]

keep working on it with a throwing partner who can give you feedback. I never talked about wrist angle to any pitchers I coached, I just gave them hand position and spin feedback

[@josephmannix5120]

@@DanBlewett ok thanks

[@halojames7778]

I think aluminium bat has much bigger sweet spot and more power than wooden bat, so batting in junior leagues or amateur levels is easier to hit the ball that doesn't have much enough break. And l think .. pitching moving fastball like Cutter or Splitter, for good effective in pitching design we have to control the spin rate of the ball in order to control the ball path to be same tunnel as the Fourseam. That is not easy for most kids. *Thank you coach.*

[@Jacob-ft4ik]

Hey Dan, do you know if there is a certain minimum velo for a sinker to have good movement? I top 85 and my sinker just doesn’t move, but I know a lot of guys who throw 90s whose sinkers are nasty. Or is it just mechanical or something with my grip? Thanks

[@DanBlewett]

not really a minimum movement, no, but the harder you throw, the more movement appears sharp - this is why there are no big, slow curveballs in the MLB anymore - data has clearly pushed everyone to throw every pitch as hard as possible. 85 is plenty hard enough to get sinker movement; that's not the problem. arm slot and the way you naturally tend to finish pitches seems to be a big factor a bit beyond your control; i couldnt make a sinker move well either because im naturally very good at correcting the ball and getting spin through the center. you may have same issue.

[@dr.stephenmatthewbecker8991]

Are Sliders safe for a youth, 11yro, pitcher?

[@DanBlewett]

i dont think any kid below 14 should be throwing breaking balls.

[@dr.stephenmatthewbecker8991]

@@DanBlewett sorry for question...I just your video on the subject

[@nickwolfe2848]

Love your videos but as a full time kballer, i 50% agree. Sadly, there is still a lot of misinformation on the pitch. Obviously, seeing that only Neikro and Wilhelm were the only drafted kballers (both made the hof) i agree most should focus on developing as a conventional pitcher first. The mechanics and speed at which you throw the knuckleball are incredibly similar to a fastball. It’s the grip that slows the pitch down, not the effort. That being said, considering the time it takes to develop a knuckleball, its nice to have a decent one “in your back pocket”

[@DanBlewett]

and what, exactly, is the misinformation? If a young pitcher has 0% chance of getting to the next level throwing a knuckleball, why should they spend precious practice throwing one, when it's hard enough to develop a collegiate-quality curve, slider or changeup?

[@phreddphlintstone297]

Both Phil Neikro and Hoyt Wilhelm were already in pro ball before the introduction of the MLB amateur draft in 1965. Rick Monday was the first player selected that year by the Kansas City A's. Prior to that, players weren't drafted, they were simply discovered and signed by the team's scouts. Times have changed a lot for baseball.

[@harpsw3390]

I am someone who throws a "slurve" but that's because what I'm throwing isn't a slurve. I throw a 72 mph fastball in men's league, so rely heavily on offspeed. I have the traditional slider and big curveball, as well as a pitch I developed last year, a hard knuckle curveball. I call this pitch my "slurve" not because its the tweener pitch you talked about here, but because it has my curveball's break pattern while having the slider's velocity. Don't throw the old school slurve though, those things do get rocked.

[@DanBlewett]

so its not a slurve - you just throw two versions of the same curveball

[@mephistoninja2213]

I have a pretty low arm angle and ever since watching your video about the one seam sinker I do get a lot of movement on it. Do you think the sinker slider combo is necessary in high school or should I just focus on accuracy with the fastball.

[@DanBlewett]

yes you need three pitches in high school. sinker slider sounds like its good for you.

[@alexmcanally6579]

I have an 11yo that has great command,throws a 4 seam, circle change, football slider. 60 4seam velocity 49 circle 52 football slider. He is playing in middle school ball as a 6th grader but is struggling with throwing bp to the 8th graders. Any ideas to help build velocity or to teach him the game within the game.

[@thebigticket802]

Great stuff

[@Acoach19374]

Great video.

[@DanBlewett]

Thanks!

[@mr00gamer21]

Man you just eliminated 2 of my best pitches 2 seam and cutter. But I'm 26 and I play in the UK for Double A so I'm OK.

[@baseballaero5076]

I came into this video pretty skeptical. But I should not have doubted Dan.

[@joeyprice5224]

I think a changeup may be a waste of time. A great changeup has less movement than an average curveball/slider, so why would we throw it

[@DanBlewett]

because it looks more like a fastball than a curveball and has a different use case. and throwing both a slider and curveball doesnt make much sense for most pitchers. also easier to throw for a strike. plus, changeups fade or sink away from opposite-sided hitters, so righties have more success getting lefties out with changeups than breaking balls, typically. gives you pitches that break to both sides.

[@Kudeghraw]

Timing. You don't get much time to react to a fastball so something that looks like a fastball at release would cause a hitter to swing early. Same concept goes for an offspeed pitch which is just slightly slower than a fastball. Its all about getting a batter's timing off. Also, you can throw it right down the cock for a strike, just have to toss it a bit higher, then it will drop at the end. Batter will think it is a high pitch until the drop at the end. The best changeups look like a ball rolled a length of table before falling to the floor.

[@drizzle452]

Because it’s an add/subtract velocity pitch designed to disrupt timing and create weaker contact. Depending on who you are, it can run or dive. I used to catch and go over pitches with pitchers pre-game playing on random teams. If a pitcher told me they didn’t have a change, I’d respond with “why not?” Or “you better learn.” I think it’s almost essential to 95% of youth/hs pitchers

[@sadlionsfan2063]

I actually throw a knuckleball and it is a very nice pitch.

[@DanBlewett]

is it nice enough to get you recruited to play college baseball? Thats the point.

[@NextLevelNugz]

The change up is a meatball in little league. I like the two seamer in the inside part of the plate.

[@ALbaseball17]

I throw a two seamer even though it doesn’t move much but for some reason it is 5 mph faster

[@DanBlewett]

you must be accidentally cutting your 4-seamer or something because the two-seam grip is somehow fixing a problem that's reducing the velocity on your 4-seamer. you should see a pitching coach.

[@ALbaseball17]

@@DanBlewett ok Tysm I’ve never had one and I’d love to figure out how to get my four seamer faster because I like the spin

[@DanBlewett]

the four-seamer is ALWAYS the fastest pitch you can possibly throw and if it's not, you're doing something wrong.

[@ALbaseball17]

@@DanBlewett can you give me ways on how to fix it?

[@DanBlewett]

no

[@devongenereux1656]

it seems like lots of guys get the screwball movement on their changeups anyway.

[@ViniZiello]

Nice... Two of my pitches are on the list... Sad

[@ViniZiello]

And I only know 4... 'Noice'

[@DanBlewett]

It’s okay. You’re going to start in a new direction now and hone pitches that will be more valuable to you long term. Learning. Good luck!

[@juanbustos1052]

Everything you said about the split you can also say about a change. In fact, it is a chance.

[@DanBlewett]

mostly true, but I'd add that changeups are a lot easier to throw for strikes than splitters, and won't have the popping up effect that splits (and all breaking pitches) do when thrown a little higher in the zone, because of the higher trajectory a split has to take to then break lower.

[@juanbustos1052]

@@DanBlewett I guess everyone is different, like you said, but I could NEVER, even to this day, throw a change, but a split is so easy for me. I just couldn't get the feel for any change - circle, palm, straight...

[@DanBlewett]

yeah, I get that. No absolutes. I think most people can learn one, but certainly a changeup doesn't fit everyone. Thanks for the comment!

[@anthonywarf6185]

No slurve? Never seen Kerry Woods 20 strikeout game

[@DanBlewett]

no slurve. outliers aren't the rule they're the exception

[@gregthegroove]

I always thought a cutter was technically a hard faster slider and there’s simply not enough feet for it to move more because it’s thrown faster. And BTW, technically speaking, Mark Prior had a nasty curve that was definitely a slurve. Even in MLB The Show, Mark Priors diamond dynasty card is based on his 2003 historic year. And yes, that slurve in the game is NASTY AF! I’m not even sure the term slurve was even around back then? If not, it was his curve I guess.

[@DanBlewett]

a cutter really is just different than a slider - thrown very differently and the way it spins is a lot different.

[@robbyblack2699]

The screwball is very hard on a pitchers arm.

[@tomglavinehof1]

Kevin Gausman, to me, has the best splitter…and his grip is very unorthodox

[@wendycoffey8283]

well, I know for one thing I'm not killing my screwball in high school

[@Datruth330]

This is the first video that I totally disagree with. Everyone is different. The homogeneouzation of baseball has made it boring and predictable. Players are being weeded out by close mindedness. Baseball tends to reward those who break the “rules”.

[@DanBlewett]

Calm down. There’s a reason no one throws these pitches at the highest level…

[@Datruth330]

@@DanBlewett why do you say,”calm down”? Do I sound hysterical? Maybe the reason the pitches are no longer thrown at that level is because there is nobody left that can teach these pitches. We are seeing this at the high school level when it comes to industrial courses. We can’t teach enough kids to become plumbers, welders, mechanics, etc., not because kids don’t want to learn but because there are too few teachers who still teach those subjects. 20 years ago school administrators decided that all kids should go to college. Now it is a self fulfilling prophecy. Btw if you don’t want comments challenging the status quo just say so. Don’t try to dominate a conversation with childish tactics like telling another adult to “calm down”. You have no idea who I am.

[@igaraider]

i agree with this comment. some ppl will find a way to make things work

[@casonedwards5986]

Cool

[@ZaneSchlegelmilch]

Respectfully, you are wrong about knuckle ballers. Hoyt wilhelm And Phil niekro were exclusively knuckleball pitchers in high school. They used the knuckleball to get signed. They both threw the knuckleball exclusively through the minor leagues and they both had a 20 year major league career as a knuckleball pitcher. In addition, Charlie hough also threw his knuckleball exclusively all the time he was a pitcher. Many of the pitchers in the 40s, 50s and 60s also were exclusively knuckleball pitchers when they were signed so with all due respect. That is wrong information that you have provided.

[@DanBlewett]

I'm advising TODAY's pitchers, talking about TODAY's demands of baseball. You're giving answers from 85 years ago as evidence. Can you name a pitcher in the last 30 years who was an exclusive knuckleballer from HS to the Majors? I'll wait.

[@cubestop6112]

My 4 seam tails

[@winstong7438]

❤

[@lucioxmr8876]

I was a pro pitcher

[@joem8496]

you awesome

[@rwwilson21]

don't throw a cutter: Yeah, tell that to Mariano Rivera. probably had the best cutter ever and 100% into the HOF

[@DanBlewett]

um, do you think I'm making videos for Major Leaguers?

[@mc1_r32]

A split is a changeup. It's not a fastball.

[@DanBlewett]

um what? the pitch is literally called a "split finger fastball"

[@mc1_r32]

@@DanBlewett So a low spin rate pitch that can be played off a fastball like a changeup is a fastball? Statistics show that the low spin rate is similar to a knuckleball if thrown right, and the drop and movement pattern is similar to a changeup. Which i don’t get why is it called a fastball if it’s not as fast as a fastball nor does it have any sort of positive vertical movement.

[@DanBlewett]

why are you arguing with me about the name of the pitch? It was named like 50 years ago and I wasn't alive.