Flying Squirrels pitchers vary their grips

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Mind those middle fingers.

Pitchers do different things with theirs and all other throwing-hand digits. Grips evolve as amateurs and professionals. Richmond Flying Squirrels right-hander Matt Frisbee, for example, holds his curveball in a way that does not closely resemble that which he used in 2018 as the Southern Conference pitcher of the year while at UNC Greensboro.

Frisbee held a baseball during an interview at The Diamond this week and demonstrated pitch grips he uses now, and how they differ from those in the past.

"When I was younger, I was (delivering pitches) more over the top, real over the top," said Frisbee, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound right-hander who's 26. "On this horseshoe (of laces), my middle finger was kind of running across it, real deep."

Matt Frisbee: "If something works for you, an organization is not going to change that because of their one mold of pitching. They’re going to be like, ‘All right, let's see how we can make this an elite pitch.’"

That provided a strong, mostly diagonal breaking ball.

"Then, I got to college and my arm slot kind of dropped down. That curveball turned into like a slider," said Frisbee, who's from Candler, N.C.

Sliders carry more of a horizontal move.

Frisbee modified his grip to recapture some of that diagonal break he lost with the adjusted arm slot. He held the ball more with his fingertips, and changed the positioning of the laces in his hand.

"Honestly, I don't throw that one anymore either," said Frisbee.

This grip evolution is common among professional pitchers, according to Frisbee.

Grip evolution is common among professional pitchers, according to Flying Squirrels' right-hander Matt Frisbee.

If 10 pro pitchers revealed how they hold their curveballs, Frisbee says 10 different grips could be expected. They also use a wide variety of finger pressures to cause ball movement. The grips and pressures would typically evolve during those 10 pitching careers, Frisbee suggested.

"It's more a feel thing, right?" Frisbee, who the San Francisco Giants selected in the 15th round of the 2018 draft, said of curveballs. "One person may have the ball deep (in his palm). The next person might have it deep, but they might spike it."

A "spike" curve involves the index finger curled on top of the baseball, with the fingernail pressing in, rather than the index finger draped across the laces, or with the laces.

"It's all different and what makes it comfortable for you," said Frisbee. "A lot of guys have different feels with how it comes off their fingers."

Richmond Flying Squirrels' right-hander Matt Frisbee said he has changed the grip on his curveball multiple times since he left high school.

There isn't nearly as much grip variety on the fastball, according to Frisbee. Holding the ball across two seams or four seams are the two primary approaches.

When it comes to the change-of-speed change-up, there are numerous grips. Pitchers may explore the pros and cons of several before they settle on an effective, agreeable grip that doesn't strain arms or fingers.

Some pitchers spread their index and middle fingers on either side of the ball to throw a change-up that resembles a split-finger fastball. Some jam the ball as far back as possible in their palms. With the same arm action, that position reduces velocity.

One of the most common change-ups involves the "OK grip." Form the OK sign and then place the ball in hand. That grip also reduces velocity while arm motion suggests to the hitter a fastball is coming.

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"Say I feel my changeup coming off my middle finger and ring finger. Some guys might say, ‘Nah, I want to feel it coming off only my ring finger,’" said Frisbee. "It's so different."

From what Frisbee knows, there is no major league organization that mandates how pitchers should hold the ball when they throw designated pitches.

"Especially in today's age. Everything is based upon how your arm slot is, how's your tilt ... It's all kind of based off that," he said. "If something works for you, an organization is not going to change that because of their one mold of pitching.

"They’re going to be like, ‘All right, let's see how we can make this an elite pitch.’"

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John O’Connor (804) 649-6233

[email protected]

@RTDjohnoconnor on Twitter

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