MLB The Show 19: Five best pitches to use in Road to the Show

Cutter

If you thought a fastball with high heat was scary enough, then try one that has a little break to it. Cutters are popular among relief pitchers, most famously by Mariano Rivera, and the speeds are, essentially that of a 2-seam fastball.

Get the “cutter break” attribute up, and that thing will work its magic. Keep in mind that the break of the pitch isn’t immense, but it’s enough to get hitters swinging at bad pitches.

This is also a good thing because you still have more control of where it goes. So you can’t easily paint the corners without having to worry about heavy breaks taking the cutter out of the zone.

Keeping pitches low is always a pretty safe idea, but don’t be afraid to throw that cutter high. This will pick the speed of the pitch, while still cutting through that strike zone like swiss cheese.

I personally have gotten embarrassed a couple of times thanks to a good cutter thrown high in the zone, or just a bit outside it. It’s a sad feeling walking virtually back to the dugout as you ponder about what pitch just did to your soul (well, OK, maybe not).

It’s a solid pitch to compliment that 4-seamer that you may be using. If you like to utilize velocity in your pitches, then switching between a 4-seam/2-seam fastball and a cutter is a nice strategy.