When he was learning to pitch years ago, Cubs reliever Carl Edwards, Jr.’s dad told him to go down in the zone with his fastball. But over time, Edwards has learned that isn’t what works best for him.
Edwards doesn’t fear throwing his fastball up in the zone. It’s where he feels comfortable, and after learning about the high spin rate on his four-seamer and how that plays well up in the zone, he was emboldened. At 2,669 RPM, only Andrew Bailey’s four-seamer averages a higher spin rate than Edwards’ heater over the last two seasons.
Conventional wisdom had pitchers avoiding that strategy, but Edwards knows that for him to thrive, that’s where he must live with the pitch.