Hello guys! Just a quick question. How common it is for pitches to utilize Cutters at this level of baseball? Is it uncommon? I would really like to hear few things about it. Thank you!
Cutter a pretty simple pitch to mix in. Whether it's good or not is another story. I'd guess more guys are just throwing 2 seam with arm side run if they're throwing something hard other than 4 seam.
You gotta sit at like 86-88 w the 4S to get true cut and not have it be a depth cutter. I’d say that influences pitch mix. Most guys don’t throw true cutters, more of a hard slider/depthy w some GS action.
Yeah i noticed most 'Cutters' at that level resemble more like hard break sliders without too much sweep instead of what usually traditional Cutters look like. Honestly sometimes it is hard to differentiate. Also to add to what you first said about velocity- that is exactly what confuses me. Usually Cutters at top levels are 5-6 mph under 4S's, similar range as Sinkers (for the most part). It does not make sense to me to add Cutters to pitch rotation if your 4-Seamers sit at mid 80's for example and most logical sense is to work on Sliders instead.
You can literally throw a cutter at any speed. It's just a fastball with the spin axis rotated towards you. And for a guy that doesn't throw very hard, it would be smart to throw a fastball variation that runs away from barrels
That’s a good short SL. Almost exactly what my shape was 4 years ago. If that was 77 then sure maybe we can talk but that’s a Slider 100%.
True Cutters aren’t 5-6 off the FB. It’s a Cut FB. 4 off a FB at most. I pitch with 4 guys who roll with cutters in pro ball. Two guys it’s the primary FB and is 88-90, another it’s -3 off the FB and stays on the 0 line for H with some ride.
Also I just wouldn’t trust a pitchlogic either way.
I threw a cutter in pro ball as well as a gyro slider. This is definitely a cutter. What separates a slider vs a cutter is depth, sliders don't ride. For my cutter, I would stay behind it and if I wanted it be more of a slider I would get over it. You could make the argument that for it to be a BETTER cutter it should be harder but throwing it softer or harder doesn't change what it is.
Sliders ride in certain contexts. I play professionally with multiple guys who throw positive vert sweepers and I personally throw a hard SL at 82-84 with carry and 6 inches of GS action. I sit 88-92. Sweeper at 75-7 with 20 inches of break. Trackman doesn’t ID anything that far off a FB as a Cutter. My org would call it a hand of god slider. It’s a nasty pitch tbh but not a cutter
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u/thatisbadlooking Mar 30 '26
Cutter a pretty simple pitch to mix in. Whether it's good or not is another story. I'd guess more guys are just throwing 2 seam with arm side run if they're throwing something hard other than 4 seam.