When you think about Dodgers RHP Brusdar Graterol, you think about the fastball. Graterol, nicknamed the ‘Bazooka,’ throws fast. Really fast. His sinker and 4-seam fastball last season averaged just under 100 mph, and they were hard to hit. In 2022, opponents hit just .195 off of Graterol’s sinker, a pitch he threw 42 percent of the time.
However, against Graterol’s next-highest thrown pitch, the cutter, batters hit .302. A reason for that? He doesn’t have enough of a velocity differential in his pitch mix. That’s why, manager Dave Roberts said the team is trying to help him develop a true breaking pitch (per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register).