Fastballs

The 3 Most Common Fastballs and How They Work

Fastballs are the most common pitch in baseball. Everyone throws a fastball, right? The answer to that is not so simple. While, yes most all pitchers throw fastballs, not every fastball was created equally. There are the classic 4-seam and 2-seam fastballs, but there are also sinkers, cut-fastballs, rising fastballs, and so on. 

So which one is the best? 

The easiest answer to that question is: whichever one works best with that pitcher’s arsenal. Factors like pitch arsenal and delivery are extremely important to which fastball is the “best.” 

In this article we will cover each of the 3 most common types of fastballs and how they work. 

Four-Seam Fastball

Four-Seam fastballs are the most common type of fastball. Oftentimes, the four-seam fastball is the first pitch a player learns when they begin playing baseball; however, this type of fastball becomes less and less common as players move up the ranks in baseball. 

The most iconic fastball is the straight four-seam, but there’s a reason that it’s so good for some pitchers (outside of the fact that it’s the hardest thrown pitch). The best performing 4-seam fastball is thrown with true backspin, and gives the illusion that it rises out of the pitcher’s hand. These factors are made possible by an over-the-top delivery, where the pitcher’s hand is on top of the baseball. The reason that this pitch is less and less common in the higher ranks of baseball is because this type of delivery is not optimal for many pitchers. Many pitchers choose a different delivery style to optimize velocity and other types of movement. 

Sinker 

Sinkers are often thought of as the crafty lefty’s “bread and butter”. While this may be true, sinkers have been shown in a new light since Jordan Hicks broke into the majors throwing them at 104 mph. 

The sinker is a different type of pitch from the four-seam fastball because instead of giving the illusion that it’s rising, it gives the illusion of diving away from the hitter. The pitch will have downward vertical break, and horizontal break that moves towards the throwing arm-side of the pitcher. This is caused by a side-arm delivery, or hand that is positioned on the side of the baseball. 

Cutter 

The cutter, or cut-fastball, is a pitch that will move in the direction of the glove and of the pitcher. Cutters can be thrown in all kinds of variations, some being slow and used as off-speed pitches, and some being faster and are used as more traditional fastballs. 

Most cutters are thrown by supinators and they are naturally occurring for the most part. Cut-fastballs are mainly used as a complement to a traditional four-seam fastball or sinker. They can create weak contact by breaking in towards the hands of the hitter, or fooling the hitter into making contact on the end part of the bat.