Honorable Mention: Jeurys Familia, Splitter
I know, I know. Starting pitchers only.
Nevertheless, it’s hard not to include one of the most mystifying pitches in all of baseball, coming from New York’s closer. In the absence and subsequent lifelong suspension of Jenrry Mejia, Familia stepped up out of nowhere to save 43 games and posting an ERA of 1.85.
Familia’s splitter is borderline unhittable and thus, unfair. It can reach speeds around 94-96 mph. Overall, its average velocity was 93.9 mph, a full three mph faster than any other player in baseball. The next highest velocity for a splitter in the Bigs? Pirates’ pitcher Arquimedes Caminero at 89.7 mph.
It once prompted a mesmerized David Ortiz to say: “That Familia, man, throwing that splitter 95 miles an hour, you crazy? No one can hit that.”
Ortiz on Familia: "That Familia, man, throwing that splitter 95 miles an hour, you crazy? No one can hit that."
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinMedia) August 30, 2015
