The Twelve Days of Prospects

“Throwing a screwball is like going around a left hand curve on your right wheels.”

-anonymous screwball pitcher

There are few pitches as misunderstood as the screwball. Nor are there many as effective.

The great Christy Mathewson called the pitch the “fadeaway.” He used it to throw three shutouts in the 1905 World Series, and 373 career wins. The Tigers had a young lefthander named Carl Hubbell who threw the pitch. Hubbell pitched for the Toronto Maple Leafs Junior World Series champs in 1926, but Tigers Manager Ty Cobb forbid him to use the screwball, fearing injury to his arm. Hubbell was mostly used in mop up situations as a result, and was let go the following year. Hubbell signed on with a Texas League team who let him use the pitch, and he was in the big leagues less than a year later. In the 1934 All Star game, he struck out five future Hall of Famers in succession.

Warren Spahn was already headed to the Hall at the age of 39 when he developed a screwball to compensate for a diminishing fastball. He won 20 games twice in his forties, a feat matched by no other pitcher. Fernando Valenzuela was taught the pitch in the Dodgers’ system in 1979; two years later, he captured the NL Rookie of the Year and Cy Young in leading L.A. to a World Series win. Mike Marshall was told not to use the pitch by three different organizations before landing with Montreal in 1970. Two years later, he was the best reliever in the game, pitching in an astounding 106 games in 1974, and winning a Cy Young.

It seems like while there have been few screwball pitchers, those who have thrown it have done so very well. Despite concerns about injuring a pitcher’s shoulder because of the unusual pronation it requires as he releases the ball, it’s not hard on the arm if it’s taught well. And therein, to quote Will Shakespeare, who made more than a few great plays of his own, lies the rub.

This brings all to Adrian Hernandez, the Blue Jays Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2021. Hernandez does not throw a conventional (if such a thing exists) screwball. He uses a circle change grip; as he releases the ball, his hand pronates slightly, and the ball is last touched by the baby finger side of his middle finger. As the ball leaves Hernandez’ hand, it looks like a fastball. In that split second a hitter has to determine the rotation on the pitch, Hernandez’ change makes a last-second dip down and to the right. For right-handed hitters, he starts it off the outside edge of the plate. For lefties, he starts it on the inside corner. Since its a pitch hitters don’t see very often - if at all - the opposite spin on the pitch makes it very tough to square up.

Hernandez was in danger of being released by the organization after posting an 8.86 ERA in the former Gulf Coast League in 2019. He had a changeup/screwball then, but was reluctant to use it. Over the course of the off season in the Mexican Winter League that year, as well as the pandemic-cancelled MiLB season in 2020, Hernandez worked on the pitch, and began to trust it. He went from throwing his low 90s fastball about 75% of the time in 2019 to just under 40% in 2021, with the change making up much of the difference.

Hitters can’t actually see where the ball is when they swing; the human eye can’t accomplish that. But based on the ball’s flight and spin, they make what amounts of an educated guess as to where the pitch will be as it crosses the plate. Because Hernandez commands the pitch so well, and uses the same arm slot and action (a key to all breaking pitches), even when hitters know it’s likely coming, they just can’t seem to track it:

Hernandez was seemingly on track for a big league audition before being sidelined with shoulder issues in June. Was that related to his use of that pitch? Perhaps, although workload (38 games the previous season, and was headed for much more this one) may have been a factor. An obviously fatigued Hernandez gave up three of the six HRs he surrendered this season in the week before he went on the IL, and gave up two more after coming off.

Hernandez was left off the 40 man roster this fall in a calculated move; Hernandez’ shoulder may have scared off teams from selecting him. The Blue Jays would like him to add some velo to make his out pitch even more effective (Hernandez does throw a keep-them-honest curve) - he’s up a tick or two (sitting 93-94) with his fastball this winter. Despite not having a roster spot at the moment, you would have to think that if he’s fully healthy and can keep (or even add to) that fastball bump, Hernandez is in the mix in the competition for the last bullpen spot, or maybe a ride on the QEW shuttle this season.