Splitter

General Pitching Topics
#22

[quote=“4pie”]this topic wont ever die, splitter is like a change-up in some way, a forkball is thrown with no spin or very little.

a 4-seam fastball catches air with 4 rotating seams and gets more hang time, a 2-seam fastball catches air with 2 seams, giving it less bite, resulting in a pitch that isnt traveling in the same straight trajectory as a 4-seam fastball. giving the 2-seamer some sidespin to it will help it get tailling action and helps to get the ball to catch less air that causes lifting (the 12 to 6 rotation is what gives the ball lifting and please dont tell me theres no such thing as a rising fastball, i know it.). SO, reducing the spin of a 2-seam fastball while still throwing it hard results in EVEN LESS air catch from the seams and if you throw it with a little side spin, it’s deadly.[/quote]
that makes perfect sense

frankly, it can work both ways, both have the same effect on the ball more or less… its just whichever way is easier for that particular pitcher

personally, i have no idea how your even supposed to get front spin on the ball holding it between your fingers but hats just me :frowning:

#23

to get top spin you need to throw a forkball. remember maybe you heard somewhere a guy telling you sometimes he would give a knuckleball some topspin, the break was more predictable but it was easier to throw for strikes. well that’s basically a forkball though you can get it to go faster (eventhough it’s still a slow pitch) and you can get it to look a lot more like a fastball until the batter recognize thespin that is in no way looking like a fastball.

basically you need to split your finger to almost split the ball in two. when you throw it you start with wrist up, and while releasing you flick it down hard while pushing down with the side of your fingers. this is pretty hard to master and usually results in a wild pitch or a pitch that spins awkwardly. it’s all about practice but it’s not a pitch anyone can get. it’s a very rare and awkward pitch.

#24

Splitter A Split-finger fastball is similar to a sinker but has more of a downward break to it. The Split-finger can be thrown at high speeds but is less effective. The trickiness about a split finger is that batters tend to over-swing or swing over the ball. This pitch looks like a fastball as it heads to the plate then dives south. Some Split-fingers move like a two-seam fastball and others move like a knuckle-ball depending on how you grip and release the ball. Roger Clemens is known for a dangerous splitter. The pitch was popularized by the pitching staffs of Roger Craig in the 1980s but led to many injuries and is less popular now.

…I pulled that from a baseball reference website.

…personally, i believe that a splitter spins backwards, like a fastball (thus the “split fingered FASTBALL”) and the forkball tumbles forward.
If the split also tumbles forward, than they are the same pitch, and Pitchers, analysts, and coaches have been wrong forever…unlikely

Want an example, look at Roger Clemens. Splitter spins backwards.

#25

The splitter has less spin than a fastball so there is more break…

Splits/Forks are nasty.

#26

A splitter has backspin. It isn’t like a fastball, but it has backspin. I throw a vulcan splitter and get many dropped third strikes because it dives into the dirt at the last instant. A forkball has a tumbling action which results into the dropping motion of that peticular baseball pitch. Also, a splitter is a fastball, not a change up hence the name SPLIT FINGER FASTBALL!!!

#27

i dont think its a fastball, usually you see guys throwing it 5 to 8 mph slower than their fastball and get batters out in front. basically its called split fingered fastball because you throw it like a fastball but split your fingers. thats why most people with good fastball have a good splitter, it’s the exact same pitch one has your fingers spread more, resulting in less spin and less velocity since fingers arent pushing straight behind the ball for maximum velocity.

i had a teammate in my ballclub a couple years ago, all he would throw would be 4-seam fastballs and splitters. now you might say thats pretty common, and i agree though here’s what he would do with it

4-seam fastball (index middle finger touching each other 85mph) 4-seam fastball (fingers spread apat about 2 inches 82mph) 4-seam splitter(fingers spread around baseball 78mph) 2-seam splitter (fingers spread around baseball 76mph)

he would just never throw the same pitch but the motion, the windup, the release point and just the whole thing in itself was always saying "here’s a 85mph fastball"
i dont know where he’s at now oir if he even throws anymore but i know some minor league clubs were looking forward to him last time i saw him.

#28

It’s simple physics.

Max backspin + max force behind ball = fastball

Less backspin + less force behind ball = splitter/changeup

The closer your index and middle fingers are, the more backspin and force you can impart. The farther they are, the less backspin and force.

4pie is correct in his explanation.

#29

Sorta playing devil’s advocate here, but if a splitter has slow spin what makes it look so much like a fastball? It can’t just be the arm action.

They say that splitters look just like fastballs until they disappear. But it’s easy to pick up on a slow/knuckling splitter.

#30

[quote=“Monk31”]Sorta playing devil’s advocate here, but if a splitter has slow spin what makes it look so much like a fastball? It can’t just be the arm action.

They say that splitters look just like fastballs until they disappear. But it’s easy to pick up on a slow/knuckling splitter.[/quote]

It looks like a fastball because most pitchers throw it off of a 2-seam fastball grip.

#31

The splitter is a “feel” pitch based on spin (as some of you posters pointed out). The trick is to throw it like a fastball but have it dramatically slow the spinning just before it reaches the plate - thereby causing it to drop or tumble. As we all know the spin of a fastball keeps it on a flat plane and/or actually rise sometimes depending on velocity. So the secret is to throw a splitter as a fastball but with just enough spin to keep it “flat” until just before it reaches the plate. This is achieved by spreading the fingers with your grip. Just spreading the fingers will not give the desired results though - you must control the spin at release. In my opinion it is by definition a fastball because you’re throwing it hard just controlling the spin. This is contradictory to a change-up where you’re controlling velocity as opposed to spin - both using the same fastball arm action just different grips. The poster that pointed hand/finger size made a valid point. The longer the fingers the better chance at developing a good splitter. Big hands and long fingers (like Pedro’s) give a significant advantage to pitchers who possess them, not just for splitters, but for most other pitches as well.