Manager John Schneider announced today that RHP Jose Berríos had added a cutter to his repertoire. Previously, Berrios’ pitching arsenal consisted of a four-seamer, a sinker, a slurve and a changeup.
His sinker, primarily used against right-handed hitters has been an effective pitch for a long time. Due to its movement, hitters get pounded with them inside, which induces more groundballs. Berrios' sinker isn’t very valuable when facing lefties. The pitch moves away from hitters, which defeats its purpose of jamming hitters and inducing groundballs. It becomes impossible to jam hitters if the ball is not being thrown inside.
Cutters have a slightly lower velocity than fastballs, though as the name suggests, cuts. Berrios will certainly only throw the cutter to lefties, as it breaks inside. If used well, it could become a legitimate weapon against them. Last season, the righty had a WHIP of 1.34 against lefties, compared to his WHIP of 1.05 against righties. If Berrios’ cutter becomes effective against left-handed hitters, his game could reach new heights.
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