A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast show. It was an interview of a former pitcher in the majors. That pitcher indicated that he sees more swings and misses in the majors. And some pitchers’ four-seamers actually generate a lot of swings and misses.
After listening to the podcast show, I was just thinking which pitchers’ four-seam fastballs did generate a lot of swings and misses in the 2024 season. To solve my doubts, I decided to check on the statcast website.
Last season, Garrett Crochet got 6 wins and took 12 losses. Nonetheless, he’s one of the most reliable starters in the majors with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP over 146 innings. In particular, his four-seamer is one of the most difficult pitches to hit. In 2024, Crochet used his four-seamers to generate more than 200 swings and misses. Average spin rate of his four-seamers was 2500 rpm and average velocity was 97.2 mph.
Meanwhile, Freddy Peralta tossed a career-high 173.2 innings in 2024. He finished the season with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Peralta used his four-seamer more than 50% of the time last season. During the regular season, his four-seam fastballs generated 200+ swings and misses. Peralta’s four-seamers spun at a rate of 2436 rpm, on average. And the average velocity of his four-seamers was 94.3 mph.
In addition, MacKenzie Gore and Zack Wheeler each used their four-seamers to generate at least 200 swings and misses in 2024. Wheeler threw his four-seamer more than 40% of the time in 2024. His four-seamers spun at a rate of 2431 rpm, on average. And the average velocity was 95.3 mph. In the meantime, MacKenzie Gore threw a career-high 166.1 innings with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Average velocity of Gore’s four-seamers was 96 mph and average spin rate was 2309 rpm. He used his four-seamers more than 50% of the time.
Finally, let’s take a look at the whiff rate. Mason Miller had a great season with 28 saves. He owned a 2.49 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Miller was selected to the All-Star game for the first in his career. His four-seamer usage was 63%. And it was so hard to hit. Whiff rate of his four-seamer was 37.2%. Last season, average velocity of his four-seamers was over 100 mph and average spin rate was over 2500 rpm. Moreover, Michael Kopech used his four-seamer more than 70% of the time in 2024. Whiff rate of his four-seamer was 34%. In 2024, his four-seamers spun at a rate of 2620 rpm, on average. Also, average velocity of his four-seamers was 98.7 mph. At the same time, Ryan Pepiot used his four-seam fastball more than 50% of the time in 2024 and the whiff rate of his four-seamer was over 31%. Pepiot’s four-seamers spun at a rate of 2379 rpm, on average. And the average velocity was 94.9 mph. Furthermore, the whiff rate of Crochet’s four-seamer was over 31% as well.
Looking back at the 2024 season, without doubt, Garrett Crochet’s four-seam fastball was certainly a tough pitch to hit because it did generate a lot of swings and misses. Moreover, Freddy Peralta and MacKenzie Gore each threw 4-seamers more than 50% of the time in 2024. A key reason why they frequently used four-seamers was probably that their four-seamers can generate swings and misses. Furthermore, Mason Miller and Michael Kopech threw their four-seamers really hard. For MLB hitters, it was hard to make contacts against their four-seam fastballs.
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