Sweeper vs. Slider: Why we need BOTH terms!

[@daveyhavok1708]

Never thought I’d hear “Luis Robert” and “shortest dong” in the same sentence.

[@bentaylor4705]

Oh gosh that reference to the reds announcer during Castellanos' homer got me 😂

[@rogerj21]

That was gold 😂

[@finnhobart9100]

The way I think of a Sweeper is based on how we think about different types of fastballs. The fastball has been the bread and better pitch for an incredibly long time, to the point where many different types of fastballs have been cultivated for success. As such, it’s necessary to distinguish between them. One would never equate a Cutter and a Sinker, but they are both brands of fastball. The same is true with the modern slider. It’s become so common because of how nasty it is that it’s harder to find a guy who doesn’t throw it than find a guy who does. As a result, tons of different varieties of slider are thrown, to the point where you need to start to distinguish because calling a Sonny Gray Sweeper the same as a Spencer Strider Slider doesn’t really work.

[@PitchingNinjaVideos]

Nailed it!

[@finnhobart9100]

@@PitchingNinjaVideos Oh why thank you sir, I am honored to receive word from the messiah of pitching himself.

[@bhfromnh3914]

No. You are way over thinking this

[@rogerj21]

Sweeper s type of slider just like a circle change is a type of changeup, a sinker a type of fastball and a slurve is a type of curveball.

[@PitchingNinjaVideos]

And a sinker is a type of two seamer, generally

[@YourAverageSummrsFan]

but 2 seamers are fastballs?@@PitchingNinjaVideos

[@PitchingNinjaVideos]

Yes, two seamers are fastballs.

[@rogerj21]

@@YourAverageSummrsFan 2-sms, 4-sms, sinkers and cutters.

[@rogerj21]

@@PitchingNinjaVideos yeah! I figured that lately sinkers and 2-sms are linked a lot.

[@Itswebbgaming]

always liked slurve over sweeper, its sounds cooler

[@PitchingNinjaVideos]

Ha! Tho, slurve had always had a mostly negative connotation (to describe a non-tight slider)...

[@JobiWan144]

​@@PitchingNinjaVideosAs I understand it, a curveball goes 12-6, a slurve goes 1-7, a traditional slider goes 2-8, and a sweeper goes 3-9 (or nearly so) for a RHP.

[@Jimi_Neutron]

Best explanation.. that catcher needs to know where that “slider” is going👌🏼 6:34

[@ajpichalski4428]

we really dont need multiple ways to identify the pitch. The sweeping slider and hard slider have been called "sliders" forever, idk why MLB feels the need to push new terminology. Its just a different arm angle and velocity, they have both existed for years. Its really just being created to generate clicks and views online lol

[@zackaryhaselius2226]

Isnt a Sweeper just a Slurve?

[@PitchingNinjaVideos]

Not really. Slightly different pitches. A Sweeper tends to use mostly Seam Shifted Wake (due to the seam orientation of the pitch). A slurve is more of a tilted curveball.

[@zackaryhaselius2226]

@@PitchingNinjaVideos I wish i knew as much as you.

[@dancooper4733]

Jeff Nelson existed. We managed just fine.

[@PitchingNinjaVideos]

No one's saying that a Sweeper is a new pitch. Pitchers lucked into throwing them. Now we can replicate it more...we know WHY it moves the way it does, so we can teach it to other pitchers. Before, even if you copied someone like Nelson's grip, it didn't matter because a sweeper is based on how the ball is spinning through the air (seam orientation) and that varies based on a bunch of things like arm slot, finger length, how it comes off your hand exactly, etc.

[@nicholasbauer7407]

What video editing software do you use for the overlays? Like so he sees this! 👇

[@PitchingNinjaVideos]

After Effects and Filmora, usually.

[@spencermackay9020]

If you get a bit more seam tifted shilt you get a slidurveweeper.

[@PitchingNinjaVideos]

We need that!

[@sageunix3381]

sleeper

[@sportsaddict0430]

Slightly confused. Filthiest pitcher was snell? I get it was a good game… but it should have been Webb with a complete game or verlander with 8 innings in one of the most important games of the year for his team 🤷‍♂️.

[@jasonadams2942]

Notice how he said filthiest and not best or most successful

[@PitchingNinjaVideos]

Snell had 21 Whiffs over 6 innings. Webb had 10 whiffs over 9 innings. Whiffs are a better indicator of "filth" than a complete game, pitching to contact, etc. Objectively, Snell's stuff was filthier than Webb or Verlander, but I did give a tie between Webb and Snell. Verlander relied mostly on his FB for Ks, which was effective, not "filthy"

[@sportsaddict0430]

@@PitchingNinjaVideos alright 👍

[@0066keith]

"sweeper"😆

[@oColt45o]

We did give for 85+ years with curveball slider... those terms are fine, I well never use sweeper. One guys slider has more vertical break than another guys slider but they both hold them the same grip and they both call them sliders, one guy's arm slot is 15degrees another's guy's armslot is 30degrees thus different angles, still both sliders. Stop trying to make baseball sound harder than it is.

[@PitchingNinjaVideos]

What about someone who has both like Clay Holmes? As a catcher, how do you tell Holmes which one to throw? As a hitter, do you just get a scouting report that says he has a slider? Or do you say he has 2 types of sliders...one that goes mostly down (gyro slider) and one that sweepers (Sweeper)? It's important to help both players and fans understand what's going on. Making a conscious choice not to evolve is interesting. We also didn't have the Internet for thousands of years, yet here you are.

[@YourAverageSummrsFan]

damn@@PitchingNinjaVideos

[@oColt45o]

@@PitchingNinjaVideos The one that breaks more vertically is a curveball. The one that breaks more horizontally is a slider, I tell hitters Clay Holmes has a curveball and a slider. Adding more pitch types only causes confusion for pro hitters, let alone youth hitters...

[@oColt45o]

@@PitchingNinjaVideos We've had sharper sliders and looser curveballs for a hundred years, yet here you are making up names for something that has had a name all along..

[@PitchingNinjaVideos]

Well you'd be telling them incorrect because a slider that breaks vertically isn't a curveball. That's just silly.

[@babaganushq]

Is a "slider" in the US what the japanese call a "gyroball"?

[@YourAverageSummrsFan]

Don't think so.

[@babaganushq]

​​@@YourAverageSummrsFanwhat's the difference then? It's Gyro spin on both.

[@dustypirate28]

Gyro was more of a deception pitch. Had a spin like it was meant to be a breaker, but moved like a fastball. Basically, throw a baseball like a football.

[@bhfromnh3914]

No such thing as a sweeper.

[@VisualColloquialist]

Man @pitchingninja i hope the strike em out version of Javier shows up tonight 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼