A Great Hitters Thought on the Nasty Cut Fastball

Nate Barnett:

“The cut fastball is sneaky. Most of the time right-handed pitchers would throw this pitch off the outside corner and let it slide back over the outside corner to me (a lefty). It was really a pitch I didn’t see coming many times because it typically breaks less than a slider; it looks just like a regular fastball.

Most of the time, I would not recognize a great cutter until after I swung and made contact. It would puzzle me because I wouldn’t make as solid of contact as I thought I should. Good cutters simply sabotage a hitter’s confidence because it prevents solid contact if thrown correctly."

Dan Gazaway:

"The purpose of throwing a cut fastball is to make the hitter hit the ball without connecting with the fat part of the bat on the baseball. The hitter will see a fastball and will not expect the ball to move. This is a good 3^rd or 4th pitch and doesn’t have to be used much, but used strategically. If it is a pitch that you can get to work, but doesn’t become a dominant pitch for you, throw it to hitters who have figured out the timing of your regular fastball. The movement will be just enough to reduce their confidence and throw off their timing."

Nate Barnett:

"For a good example of how a cutter can mess with hitters, take a look at some footage of Mariano Rivera throwing a cutter if you can get your hands on it. Otherwise watch closely on television if you get the chance during the season. What you will see is that hitters will take a solid swing at what they think is a straight fastball, only to have the contact be less than solid.”

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