How To Throw A Four Seam Fast Ball

When a pitcher can throw what appears as a flatter fastball, he also has a wider margin of error to throw low in the zone. As previously mentioned, fastballs are most effective in the upper part of the strike zone. But when the pitch appears to be rising at a high rate, it can still garner a lot of whiffs – no matter the location. With a wider margin of error, pitchers have a much higher probability of success. Thus far in 2022, Williams has a +0.57 VAA AA, which puts him at about a 60 Grade .

Because of the shortened arm action and the rotation on the ball, curveballs are much slower than fastballs. Unlike the four-seam fastball, you want to hold the ball tighter and closer to your hand with a two-seam fastball. After joining the Astros in 2018, it appears that Cole made his release point more consistent and slightly raised his vertical release point. In an article I recently read , it was also suggested that Cole appeared to be throwing from a slightly higher vertical release point when his fastball RPM was at its highest in Pittsburgh. Although there is definitely evidence of a change in vertical release point, it looks relatively minor so it might not be the direct cause of his massive jump in fastball effectiveness.

Here are some pictures of finger placement for the four-seam fastball. Let’s take a closer look at the grip, arm action and mechanics of the pitch. If that’s not enough camwood 30 day program pdf to slow the pitch down, you can also try the three finger change up grip or the circle change, which is what I threw throughout my career starting at 12 years old.

It helps to develop a good “feel” for the pitch, which is important since the changeup is a finesse pitch. Squeeze the ball with your thumb towards your index and middle fingers. Place your index and middle finger on the outside of the seams of the lower part of the C- Shape. Your middle knuckle on each finger should lie on the area where the seams start to widen. Place your middle finger on or a little bit inside the right seam of the C-shape.

The grip on the ball should be firm, and the wrist should be stiff. The release and delivery are similar to the two-seam fastball. Less friction will allow the ball to leave faster from your hand. The name of this pitching grip is a four-seam fastball because when the ball leaves your hand, the batter sees four parallel seams spinning. Throwing Long—Encourage pitchers to alternate using a changeup grip with fastball grips when throwing long. This helps players maintain good arm speed with the grip, which is essential to throwing a good changeup.

I literally feel like crying on behalf of hitters everywhere. This next video clip of Johnny Cueto’s two-seamer really brings it together for us. Flex the ring finger into the palm with only the inside of the second knuckle touching and stabilizing the ball. The ball should rest on the inside bony surface of the first joint in the thumb. The best attribute to have when learning a new pitch ispatience. Don’t have unrealistic expectations when learning a new pitch.

When you release the ball, rotate your thumb upwards, and your middle and index fingers downward. You want the ball to rotate off your index finger when it leaves your hand. This twist in your wrist will give the ball its forward top-bottom rotation that will make the ball break. Grip this pitch a little tighter than you would on a 4 – seam fastball, putting slightly more pressure on the index finger.

The throw will stay straight, which is why infielders use a four-seam grip to throw. As pitchers develop, they may experience some natural movement on their four-seam fastball. In time, this pitch is often used to work the cross-corner of the plate. For pitchers that can’t get the efficiency up enough with a 4 seam fastball grip change, nor can they get it into like a true cutter profile. Having the coaching experience to know when it’s time to commit to this is vital.

Squeeze the ball with your thumb pushing it against your middle finger. Some of the hardest pitches to hit are when they are inside. If the batter connects with the ball on an inside pitch, it’s away from the barrel and won’t travel very far, giving the infield an easy out. The reason that this ball is so great to throw when you are behind in the count is because this type of pitch has absolutely no movement. If you were to sum up everything in this article that could increase a pitcher’s performance into one example, it would be through Gerrit Cole. Previously, we saw how his change in pitch usage from sinkers to high 4-Seam fastballs allowed him to get better results.