Relievers become relievers largely because they can handle two pitches, but can’t reliably deliver three.
Chad Green, one of the more reliable bullpen arms for the Yankees over the past six seasons, is a two-pitch pitcher, but that second pitch has been a journey.
This means their fastballs are spinning so tightly they drop less on the way to the plate, ending higher than a hitter’s brain projects, giving the appearance the ball rose.
Green’s slider was an extremely hit or miss pitch, being one of the more valuable breaking balls on the staff in 2016 and 2017, before completely cratering in 2018.
Over the past two seasons, Green’s ditched the slider for a curveball, and this season throws it about 35 percent of the time, a notable increase over 2020.
Still, it’s not the most devastating curve in baseball, by any stretch.
MLB average is 40”, which is a real reflection on that ineffective spin I talked about above — less spin contributing to movement means the ball moves less, and also less sharply.
This added deception not only will yield more swings and misses, but it also means that you can feel more confident delivering the ball in the strike zone, earlier in counts, which is something that Green doesn’t do that much of.
Still, he’s had a tumultuous relationship with secondary offerings — giving up on his slider entirely, and struggling to add a curveball that’s as deceptive as it should be when your only other pitch is a fastball.