Ex-catcher breaks down Guardians star Gavin Williams’ ‘nasty’ secret weapon appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams has performed well this postseason. The Guardians currently hold a 2-1 lead in the American League Championship Series over the Tampa Bay Rays. Williams is a big reason why Cleveland is only two wins away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 2016. One pitch that has been crucial for Williams is his sweeper, which former MLB catcher David Ross recently discussed on his podcast with Anthony Rizzo, via Ross and Rizzo Unfiltered.
“We’ve talked about how nasty his stuff is,” Ross said. “He attacks the zone, and that sweeper, man, it just feels like it disappears under those lefties’ bats. And the righties, it never stays in the zone for those guys to hit it. I mean, he’s coming right at you.
“Talking about mound presence, he’s a big man. He’s a big boy up there coming high release point.”
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Williams, who stands six-foot-six, is a strikeout machine on the mound. He finished second in all of MLB in strikeouts during the regular season, trailing only Jacob Misiorowski.
While some may think of Williams’ fastball when talking about his success, he actually throws the sweeper more than any other pitch. The big right-hander threw the sweeper 28.8 percent of the time during the season, while he turned to the heater 27.3 percent of the time. He also features a knuckle-curve, sinker and cutter.
His sweeper may have been able to be called a “secret weapon” in the past, but is becoming more known given his success in the postseason. Nevertheless, it is an effective pitch even if hitters are sitting on it. And, once they begin sitting on it, Williams can turn to his fastball which averages just under 98 MPH.
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