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New Pitch: Danny Salazar Curve

by
April 29, 2015

Danny Salazar threw three curves in the major leagues before this year. Today, he threw two to Sal Perez. Here’s the second one, which froze Perez and allowed Salazar to steal a strike.

SalazarCurve

Considering that Salazar’s problems have mostly been in the command department, not the stuff section, a pitch that batters won’t swing at but can thrown into the strike zone could be a tremendous asset. At 82, with nice drop, it’s also going to be useful for whiffs and grounders — that’s one of the harder curves out there (would have been top 20 in velocity if it qualified last year), and that’s above-average drop, both good signs for a curveball.





 

With a phone full of pictures of pitchers' fingers, strange beers, and his two toddler sons, Eno Sarris can be found at the ballpark or a brewery most days. Read him here, writing about the A's or Giants at The Athletic, or about beer at October. Follow him on Twitter @enosarris if you can handle the sandwiches and inanity.

7 Comments
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RainmakerMember since 2016
11 years ago

Cause that’s what that guy needed….more filth!

6
Jim Michaels
11 years ago

Perfect example of a writer having no clue about pitching or the way the video camera works. The camera lies. No pitch thrown at 82 mph is going “…be lobbed into the strike zone…” The pitch looks this way because the camera frames are too slow to capture the true velocity of the thrown baseball.

Standing in the batters box or sitting in the stands behind the plate, one will notice this 82 mph “looping” pitch is taking a sharp dive or break across the plate. There is no “loop” to the pitch. To the untrained eye an 82 mph pitch is moving at a high rate of speed; but to the MLB player, this is a pitch monitored by the spin of the ball and the ability to wait while the batter’s hips are starting to rotate violently before exploting on the pitch…or waiting to swing.

If you doubt simply observe a bullpen session. You’ll notice very few looping breaking balls thrown at 82 mph.

-22
Eno Sarris
11 years ago
Reply to  Jim Michaels

You really didn’t have to go so far. Here’s a clue that I just made a mistake in calling it looped or lobbed: I said it would have been a top 20 hard curve ball. It looks like a good pitch, let’s look past a poor word choice.

3
Eno SarrisMember since 2020
11 years ago
Reply to  Eno Sarris

Fixed, just for you!

0
failed mathematician
11 years ago
Reply to  Eno Sarris

But is fixed the right word Enos or did Jim Michaels shame you forever in the multitude that read the comments section. I would call it an editorial correction.

0
joser
11 years ago
Reply to  Jim Michaels

Perfect example of a commenter being an ass, and having no clue about the writer he’s commenting on.

5
arc
11 years ago
Reply to  Jim Michaels

New Commenter: Belligerent Semantics Guy

1