Yordan Alvarez is one of the best hitters alive. I asked why Jordan Montgomery's curveball that struck him out swinging three times so puzzled him. "It looks like a fastball." If that seems odd, read about the Death Ball and you'll get it. Free at ESPN: es.pn/3Q18VQU
Jordan Montgomery's Death Ball — and, by extension, how modern pitching works — explained: The raw spin and break data on Montgomery's curveball is nothing special. But it has certain characteristics that, when paired with his fastball, can make it a truly elite pitch. The question, for all pitchers, is how to find that. For Montgomery, it's all about marrying an elite vertical approach angle — the steepness with which the ball enters the zone — with mystifying tunneling. What do I mean by tunneling? That is the concept when pitchers release different pitches around the same place. And you cannot find a much better tunnel in all of baseball than Montgomery's fastballs and curveball. The charts below, from @ESPNStatsInfo, illustrate that both visually and numerically. Montgomery's release point on his fastballs is the highest in baseball, at 80-81 inches off the ground. His release on his curve, at just over 80 inches, is second best behind Justin Verlander. His horizontal release point for the three pitches is almost identical, too. And because of that elite VAA on the curve, the ball comes out of his hand and really does, as Yordan Alvarez said, look like a fastball. Its late break — more akin to a slider than a traditional looping curveball — makes it the absolute bastard pitch it is. This is how modern pitchers get better. Montgomery went to @TreadAthletics, worked with @T_Zombro24 and made himself into who he is. This isn't a story about pitching development writ large. It's about a pitcher developing himself.
@JeffPassan Are we gonna have to make DEATH BALL shirts now? ☠️⚾️
@JeffPassan Who do you think will win the series?? Rangers or Astros??
@JeffPassan Article about a curveball and shows him throwing a change up. Nice
@JeffPassan Sounds like a dragonball z attack
@JeffPassan It really does look like a fastball.
@JeffPassan Cashman didn’t think he was playoff material and therefore traded him. What a swing and miss.