David Price’s two-seam fastball almost is unhittable.
ESPN on Monday morning chronicled five pitches that would make an pitcher unstoppable. They used advanced metrics and player testimonials in an attempt to create the the perfect pitcher, narrowing the five pitches down to a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, curveball, changeup and cutter. After crunching the numbers and speaking to players, they determined that a perfect pitcher with pitches made up of current MLB pitchers would have David Price’s two-seam fastball.
The Boston Red Sox ace held opponents to a .171 batting average with his two-seam fastball in 2018, well below the league average of .286. Price also used his deceptive fastball to put batters away 22.6 percent of the time in 2018, also above the league average of 17 percent.
Houston Astros outfielder George Springer had high praise for the five-time All-Star’s two-seamer.
“It looks like a four-seamer—until it’s not,” Springer told ESPN. “I can normally tell the difference, but the biggest thing with [Price] is—I call it a hip shot—it starts at your hip and ends up back over the middle of the plate.”
Price will look to continue his success with his two-seam fastball this season as the Red Sox attempt to defend their 2018 World Series title.
