"It's a little bit of a unique grip. I use more of the seams on the splitter, which I found is not quite as traditional. But I really like it because I can still think about being aggressive, like a fastball down, then just let the grip do the work and trust it."
"The splitter has helped tremendously. Not like it's a crazy pitch alone. It's just that I can execute that pitch a lot better than I can the previous changeup I was throwing. If I can go out there and use it consistently, throw it whenever I want, in any count."
David Bednar's splitter originated from Japanese legend Hideo Nomo, who taught the pitch to Bednar during his time as a special assistant with the Padres. The grip uses more seams than traditional splitters and complements Bednar's 98-mph fastball and high-70s curve. As Bednar rose to elite closer status with the Pirates, bullpen coach Justin Meccage learned the technique and later passed it to Tobias Myers while coaching in the Brewers organization. Myers, now a starter for the Mets, credits the splitter with his breakout season, posting a 2.64 ERA with a 39.4% whiff rate against the pitch.
#baseball-pitching-technique #splitter-grip-development #coaching-lineage #pitcher-performance-metrics
Read at Newsday
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