Mason Miller is Playing with a New Pitch
In the first game of the Oakland A's road trip, closer Mason Miller was called upon to record the final three outs in the team's 3-0 win. He went one inning, gave up a hit, a walk, and struck out two, earning his 11th save of the season. In other words, just his usual dominance. Nothing too exciting in the stat line.
But in watching the game, NBC California color analyst Dallas Braden noticed something immediately after it happened. "How about that? I think Mason Miller may have just introduced the world to a new toy." That toy is apparently the splinker. Pitching Ninja also caught the pitch, and posted a clip from his chat with Miller from last week where the right-hander said, "I should try and throw [the splinker]."
Is Mason Miller trying to throw a Splinker???
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 29, 2024
This was 98mph. [And we discussed it.] pic.twitter.com/gcxN4pMhkT
Baseball Savant classified the pitch as a splitter, which he threw at 97 miles per hour, and then 98 on the very next pitch, both to Brandon Lowe.
The reason this could be such a weapon for Miller is one, the velocity. But beyond that, he's been practically un-hittable over the first two months of the 2024 season, posting a 1.88 ERA and a 52.8% strikeout rate.
The two splinkers that Miller threw had more horizontal ride than his typical offerings. His slider sat between 4-11 inches over horizontal movement on Tuesday night, but the two splinkers he threw had 18 inches (a ball) and 15 inches (strike), which is just a ridiculous amount of movement if he can locate it. His fastball has averaged 9.4 inches of horizontal break this season, while his slider moves down more than across, getting eight inches of ride. The splinker he threw on Tuesday night nearly doubled that total.
Miller's Baseball Savant page is already littered with red, and he ranks in the 100th percentile in six categories, the 98th in barrel rate and hard hit rate, and the 91st in average exit velocity. The only two blue bars he has are his ground ball rate (49th) and walk rate (52nd). That's just pure dominance, and not to alarm the rest of baseball, but it may not be getting any easier.
JASON BURKE
Jason is the host of the Locked on A's podcast, and the managing editor of Inside the A's. He's a new father and can't wait to take his son to his first baseball game at the Coliseum.