What is the easiest pitch to hit in MLB? (2023)

What is the easiest pitch in baseball?

Four-Seam Fastball

This is usually the easiest pitch to throw for a strike. If released properly, four laces of the ball rotate through the air, helping to keep the throw in line with the target. Pitchers should hold the baseball with their pointer and middle finger on the top laces or seams of the baseball.

Pitches right down the middle/over the inner-third generate the most homers per swing. Pitches low in the zone tend to generate more HR compared to high or outside. But that's intuitive — you could probably picture that one without even seeing it.

Each baseball player has their own specialties. However, the two pitches that stand out to be the hardest to hit are the splitter and the slider. This conclusion is backed by research that has been done to detect the whiff rate for various pitches.

This 35.1 MPH Frank Schwindel pitch is the slowest (known/measured) MLB pitch to ever get hit for a home run!

An illegal pitch may be quick pitch (i.e. a pitch made before the batter is properly set in the batter's box), a pitch made while the pitcher is not in contact with the pitching rubber, or one in which he takes an extra step while making his delivery.

A screwball is a breaking ball designed to move in the opposite direction of just about every other breaking pitch. It is one of the rarest pitches thrown in baseball, mostly because of the tax it can put on a pitcher's arm.

Tropicana Field

Tropicana Field is currently the smallest baseball stadium with a capacity of only 25,000 since 2019. The ballpark is located in St. Petersburg, Florida and is home to the Tampa Bay Rays. The ballpark opened in 1990 and technically could hold 42,735 people.

This is answered for every age imaginable, if you search the forums for details. Short answer is is 55-60 mph.

13 And 14-Year-Olds

An average fastball from this age range is anywhere from 55 mph (on the low side) to 75 mph. A pitcher throwing 75 mph is better than most people for this age, and their fastball is at a high school quality. An average changeup for this age is approximately around the 50-60 mph mark.

In the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), there have been 223 MLB pitchers to hit 100 on the radar gun, according to Baseball Savant's Statcast.

Who threw the fastest pitch ever?

The Fastest Pitch Ever: Aroldis Chapman's 106 MPH Heater

On September 24, 2010, former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who hails from Cuba, delivered a 105.1-mph fastball, measured by Statcast, in a game against the San Diego Padres, which is recognized as the Guinness World Record for fastest pitch ever.

Nolan Ryan has the record, all in all, and this was from Doppler Radar. His pitch was measured at 108.1 miles per hour. With the equipment used today, the record is held by Aroldis Chapman, at 105.1 mph.

Stephen Louis Dalkowski Jr. (June 3, 1939 – April 19, 2020), nicknamed Dalko, was an American left-handed pitcher. He was sometimes called the fastest pitcher in baseball history and had a fastball that probably exceeded 100 mph (160 km/h).

Pitchers can lick their fingers before drying them off on their uniform to get a grip on the ball, but they can't be in contact with the rubber when they do so.

The reason why the spitball was banned was that it was regarded as doctoring a baseball. And everything that was considered doctoring a baseball was banned on this day in 1920. Throwing the spitball before that 10th of February 1920 was a common thing. Many pitchers did it.

As expected, the home run rate off the best-contacted curveballs is higher than those of the best-contacted fastballs (24.3% vs. 23.5%). Simply put, if an MLB hitter really gets ahold of curveball, the pitcher will probably be wishing he threw his heater instead.

Bill "Spaceman" Lee threw an eephus referred to as the "Leephus", "spaceball" or "moon ball". Pitching for the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 of the 1975 World Series, the Red Sox were up 3–0 when, on a 1–0 count, Lee threw an eephus pitch to Tony Pérez with a runner on base.

Jacob deGrom was throwing completely unfair 96 mph sliders against the Braves.

What is the deepest MLB park?

Who has the deepest outfield in MLB? Speaking of Comerica Park, it is the only stadium in baseball with a 420-foot sign in dead center field. Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, also has a 420-foot sign on its outfield wall, but that is more in right-center.

Hall of Famer Edd Roush holds the distinction as the player who used the heaviest bat in MLB history. Roush, who debuted with the Chicago White Sox in 1913, used a 48-ounce behemoth.

That honor goes to Coors Field. Even though it is the league's largest ballpark, the altitude in Denver helps sluggers get extra distance on their fly balls. So far in 2022, Coors Field ranks first in ESPN's MLB Park Factors for home runs, meaning it helps batters homer more than any other ballpark.

11 and 12 Year Olds

The average fastball is between 50-60 mph. However, at this age the players may start to hit puberty, therefore it is not uncommon to see a pitcher throwing near 70 mph. The changeup velocity at this age is typically between 40-50 mph.