Ranking the Brewers' 31 nastiest pitches of the 2020 season
Changeups and curves and sinkers and sliders, oh my!
Welcome to a special edition of Rich People Conversations. While the four remaining teams duke it out for the World Series, the Brewers’ season has been toast for nearly two weeks now. I’ve spent that time adding to my collection of filthy pitch GIFs.
After going through video of every strike that a Brewers pitcher threw in 2020 (God bless you, Baseball Savant), I was ready to tackle the task of ranking the nastiest pitches of the season.
I used three categories to rank the pitches by: nastiness, location and aesthetics. In other words, how much movement/velocity the pitch has or how much it makes my jaw drop; how well-placed is the pitch, both relative to the corners of the plate and the catcher’s target; and are there any other elements that make it pop, like an ugly swing?
Let’s do it. Here, watch some filth.
Brandon Woodruff fastball to Shogo Akiyama
This one doesn’t kill it on nastiness or location (although 98 right on the hands isn’t exactly fun for the hitter), but generating that swing on a fastball that probably could’ve hit the batter is hilarious.
Devin Williams changeup to Jorge Polanco
This is the text Jake sent me immediately following this strikeout.
Justin Topa slider to Willi Castro
I can’t imagine many more embarrassing things that can happen to a big leaguer than swinging at a pitch that hits you. And also for it to happen for the pitcher’s first big league strikeout?
Freddy Peralta curveball to Javier Baez
I’m willing to give lots of points in the ‘aesthetic’ category when you make a hitter flail like, which is exactly what Peralta did here, just teasing Baez with that curve out over the middle before it sweeps to the corner.
Devin Williams changeup to Joey Votto
This Devin Williams outing may have been the high point of the 2020 Brewers season. Five strikeouts over two hitless innings in a one-run game. He struck out Votto, then Nick Castellanos, then Mike Moustakas to finish it off. The times, they were good.
Brandon Woodruff curveball to Victor Caratini
I was so enamored with this pitch when I saw it live. That location got a 4.9 grade out of 5 and I’m honestly not sure why I didn’t just give it a 5. That pitch is impossible to barrel.
Corbin Burnes sinker to Yasmani Grandal
Imagine you’re Yasmani Grandal. You’re a good hitter. And you’re familiar with Corbin Burnes—or at least the 2019 version who was giving up all the #dingerz. You think you’re gonna get a four-seam at the bottom third to yank out to right field. And then….noooooope. (Also, fun fact, this was Burnes’ fastest pitch of the year.)
Corbin Burnes slider to Jonathan Schoop
Imagine seeing Burnes throw sinkers to the outer third all game long and then he spins this slider into the dirt. You’re helpless as a batter.
Corbin Burnes sinker to Erik Gonzalez
I’m a sucker for in-diving pitches from right-handed pitchers to right-handed hitters. Make it 95 and with late sink away from the inside corner and…hold me.
Brandon Woodruff changeup to Adam Frazier
This was Woodruff’s lone changeup over 90 mph that a generated swinging strike this year. And it’s utterly filthy.
Josh Lindblom curveball to Anthony Rizzo
Bend the knee.
Josh Lindblom curveball to Cole Tucker
I don’t know what it is—and I swear I didn’t slow this down—but it looks like this Uncle Charles is moving in slow motion.
Corbin Burnes cutter to Bryan Reynolds
The way that this cutpiece just falls completely off the table is phenomenal. Bryan Reynolds never stood a chance.
Brandon Woodruff fastball to Javier Baez
Ninety-nine. On the black. Goodnight.
Josh Hader slider to Javier Baez
I swear I didn’t go into this intending to put a couple of Baez pitches back-to-back but, well, here we are.
Corbin Burnes curveball to Curt Casali
The curve wasn’t an incredibly oft-used pitch for Burnes, but it’s a really good one. With a high spin rate, it has a sharp bite to it, and here it takes a chomp at Curt Casali. Sword SZN.
Josh Hader slider to Erik Gonzalez
My favorite thing about this is when Erik Gonzalez, who just swung at a pitch that hit him in the back foot for a strikeout, briefly thinks he can run to first on a dropped third strike. No, Erik Gonzalez. That’s not how this works.
Freddy Peralta curveball to Salvador Perez
I am all for the insane horizontal break on Peralta’s curve. Sal Perez is not.
Josh Lindblom curveball to Marwin Gonzalez
This one doesn’t have the same ‘wow’ factor as some of the other ones this high up, but I enjoy so much about it. The loop on the hook takes it from the top of the zone to the bottom. It literally clips the lower inside corner of the zone. And it makes Gonzalez jolt his back foot out of the way because it had so much drop that he thought it would hit him.
Devin Williams changeup to Byron Buxton
The swing alone gives this pitch some serious “No. 1 nastiest pitch of the season” potential. I mean, my goodness. Jake and Tom, shield your eyes. I just don’t think this is *actually* Williams’ best change up of the season due to its location and break.
Devin Williams changeup to Jarrod Dyson
This pitch stood out in my mind all season long for a couple of reasons. 1) The way that thing disappears is Houdinilike. 2) This is the pitch, in the first week of the season, that made Jake fall in love with Devin Williams: “Is that a splitter? A change?” Jake texted Tom and I after seeing it. “All I know is I need to write about it and change my pants.”
David Phelps curveball to Eddie Rosario
We have officially reached the “that’s just silly” portion of the countdown.
Remember David Phelps? The dude who was seventh on the team in rWAR even though he got traded at the end of August? And then had a 12.91 ERA for the Phillies in the role of Double Agent as he did part to help his old team make the playoffs? David Phelps forever.
Devin Williams changeup to Whit Merrifield
Sure, Devin missed his spot by like 20 inches but does it really matter when he makes a really good hitter look like that?
Devin Williams changeup to Jason Heyward
*extreme Tyga voice*
I’m faded, faded, faded.
Josh Hader slider to Eddie Rosario
A game-ender that was an absolute dagger. I think this pitch may have stolen Rosario’s soul.
Brandon Woodruff slider to Erik Gonzalez
Poor Erik Gonzalez. This is his third inclusion as the hitter in these rankings. And he had no chance against this 89 mph wiffle ball.
Corbin Burnes sinker to Travis Jankowski
Look at that glove. Look where it sets up. Then look where Burnes puts a 98 mph sinker. Literally the same spot. Goodness me.
Freddy Peralta curveball to Yoan Moncada
It’s election season and Yoan Moncada is running on the platform of making curveballs that break almost two feet illegal.You can understand why.
Josh Hader slider to Will Smith
The difference between where this ball starts, where it crosses the plate and where it gets caught is astounding. Will Smith never stood a chance.
Devin Williams changeup to Carlos Santana
Check out the volume on that change. It’s like it got to the top of the roller coaster, lifted its hands from the safety bar and enjoyed the ride down to the bottom. And then the skip off the mound that just screams, “I’m the best reliever in baseball this year and I know it,” is a #mood. In a season full of disgusting Devin Williams pitches, this one is my favorite.
Corbin Burnes curveball to Hunter Dozier
Everything about this is what you’re looking for in a nasty pitch. The sharp and violent break after Burnes snaps that wrist. The absolute pinpoint location. And the swing that sends the batter helplessly to a knee. It has it all and I just can’t look away. That makes it the nastiest pitch by a Brewers hurler in 2020.
See y’all next week.