Daily News | Phillies’ José Alvarado will bring opposing hitters a third pitch this season: a ‘nasty’ curveball
CLEARWATER, Fla. — On Feb. 27, Pirates first baseman Carlos Santana stepped up to the plate against José Alvarado in the bottom of the fourth inning of the Pirates-Phillies Grapefruit League game in Bradenton. The first six pitches of the at-bat went about how you’d expect. Alvarado threw Santana a 98 mph sinker, a 93 mph cutter, two 94 mph cutters, and two more 99 mph sinkers. But then, on the seventh pitch, Alvarado delivered something entirely unexpected: an 88 mph curveball.
The short answer is yes — and opposing hitters are about to see more of it. Alvarado used to throw the curveball with more regularity earlier in his career, and it was an effective pitch. But pitching coach Caleb Cotham quickly realized that when Alvarado did throw it, he would use a different delivery, arching his arm up to try to get on top.
The early results have been promising. Alvarado has only made two spring training outings thus far, but has yet to allow a hit or a run. After the Santana at-bat last week, he threw a similar sequence to Andrew McCutchen — 99 mph sinker, 100 mph sinker, 86 mph curveball and a 93 mph cutter for a strikeout. McCutchen looked as confused as Santana did.
“It has more depth, it has a little more glove side movement, and it’s also slower. It’s a tough deal for a hitter. The speed gap that they have to account for is tough, especially for guys that are really aggressive. You can pick one of his pitches and try to sit on it. Some guys can do it. But it might be a little harder to sit on it now that something might show up 86 mph or 88 mph.
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