RESEARCH: Throwing Meatballs
Dec 8 2016
"Meatball" pitches are those fastballs that go right down the middle of the plate and get hit a long way. Except when they don’t.
Basically, two kinds of Meatballs exist. The first group consists of fastball grooved down the heart of the plate. These are usually the sign of a desperate pitcher who is just looking for a called strike. Another type of Meatball is a pitch which misses its location, drifts across the plate, and gets crushed. While the meatballs exist and may get hit around, it is about impossible to predict their results.
Before getting to a list of pitchers who throw meatballs, two items must be established. First, Are Meatballs bad? Second, Is throwing Meatballs a skill?
To find out if pitches down the middle of the plate...
Almost!
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