"There are many steps that the team will need to take to improve their pitching, but one potential fix is diversifying their team's pitching arsenal by throwing more splitters. A splitter is a type of off-speed pitch where a pitcher will hold the ball with their fingers spread in a V-shape around the horseshoe of the seams."
"Moreover, for these two pitchers, splitters were a very small part of their arsenals. Parker only threw his splitter 10.6 percent of the time, and Rutledge threw his 9.4 percent of the time. The most effective splitter-thrower for the Nationals last season was Kyle Finnegan. His splitter had a run value of plus three last season, and he threw the pitch 37.1 percent of the time."
"One key attribute about them is that they are platoon-neutral. Some pitches, like sliders, are only effective against batters that hit with the same hand that the pitcher throws with since the pitches naturally move away from the batter. These pitches are still effective, but most pitchers will not succeed if their only off-speed offering is only reliable against same-handed batters."
The Nationals are rebuilding their pitching staff after a 5.35 ERA last season, second-worst in MLB behind the Colorado Rockies. Only Jackson Rutledge and Mitchell Parker threw at least 100 splitters; Parker used his 10.6% and Rutledge 9.4%. Kyle Finnegan produced the most effective splitter with a +3 run value and 37.1% usage before being traded to the Tigers. Splitters use a V-shaped finger grip, have slower velocity and late downward movement, and remain platoon-neutral, making them effective against both right- and left-handed batters and valuable as a universal off-speed weapon.
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