Texas Rangers Right-Hander Throws One Of League’s ‘Nastiest’ Splitter

As the Texas Rangers prepare to run it back in 2024, most eyes are focused on the starting rotation. And for good reason.

The Rangers hope to feature what could arguably be one of the top four-man sets rotations in baseball with Nathan Eovaldi, Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, and newcomer Tyler Mahle. Three of them, of course, won’t take the mound until midseason because of injuries.

Texas will turn to Eovaldi, the new ace of Arlington, to set the tone while deGrom, Scherzer, and Mahle recover from surgery. Eovaldi, 34, was 12-5 with a 3.63 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 2023.

He relied heavily on his split-fingered fastball to close the door on hitters. According to MLB.com, that’s the Rangers’ nastiest pitch heading into 2024.

The ace of the World Series champions’ pitching staff used his splitter to get the biggest outs of the 2023 season. Eovaldi’s 16 splitter K’s and 42 splitter whiffs in the postseason were the most by any pitcher on any pitch type. – MLB.com

Eovaldi primarily throws four pitches: a four-seam fastball, a splitter, a cutter, and a curve. He had 41 strikeouts in 36.2 postseason, including 13 against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. He used his fastball well to set up his shutdown offspeed pitches.

His splitter, which ranged between 86-89 mph, was particularly effective, floating in the bottom of the zone before dropping late to cause a lot of swing-and-miss. It was Eovaldi’s magic trick, especially when working out of jams against the Houston Astros in the ALCS.

Eovaldi is looking to recreate the magic that made him an All-Star in 2023. His best chance of doubling down on the success? Trust the splitter and let the batter do the rest.

Reliever Josh Sborz’s four-seam fastball was listed as an honorable mention pitch. Sborz had 74 strikeouts and averaged 11.9 per nine innings despite a 5.21 ERA.

Sborz pitched the final 2.1 innings in the Rangers’ World Series-clinching Game 5 win against the Diamondbacks. Of the 31 pitches, Sborz threw 14 four-seamers, 12 curveballs, and five sliders.