Shane Baz features a five-pitch mix: a four-seam fastball and a knuckle curve being the most prominent in terms of usage. The Baltimore Orioles right-hander also throws a cutter, a curveball, and a changeup. And then there is the offering that reluctantly remains in his back pocket. Baz would love to one day unleash his knuckleball on major-league hitters.
“I threw one when I was a kid, up until I was probably 13 or 14,” explained Baz, who was a big Tim Wakefield fan while growing up in Tomball, Texas. “It was my only off-speed pitch up until then — I was just fastball/knuckleball — so I’ve got a lot of experience with it. I actually try to throw it in every bullpen [session]. I’ll definitely get it into a game, eventually. I just have to convince [pitching coach Drew] French to let me throw it. Maybe next spring training I’ll be able to mix some in and show him what it looks like in a game. I mean, it’s pretty good.”
Baz went on to say that that he threw his pet pitch with a three-finger grip — “fingers on the horseshoe, right by the label” — in his younger days, but once his hands got bigger he went to “the traditional two-finger knuckleball.” And while he basically stopped throwing it in games once he matured and developed more pitches, he’s never lost his affinity for baseball’s butterfly.
At 96.1 mph, Baz’s four-seamer is above average for velocity, but while extra oomph is advantageous for heaters, that isn’t the case for low-spin floaters.
“I can get it up to about 80, but those aren’t as good,” Baz said. “I think it’s best when it’s like 70 to 75. That’s when I have the best control of it and can keep the spin really low. When I’m trying to throw it hard, it starts spinning more and not having as much knuckle effect.”
His overall understanding of the pitch is impressive, and that includes spin properties.
You Aren’t a FanGraphs Member
It looks like you aren’t yet a FanGraphs Member (or aren’t logged in). We aren’t mad, just disappointed.
We get it. You want to read this article. But before we let you get back to it, we’d like to point out a few of the good reasons why you should become a Member.
1. Ad Free viewing! We won’t bug you with this ad, or any other.
2. Unlimited articles! Non-Members only get to read 10 free articles a month. Members never get cut off.
3. Dark mode and Classic mode!
4. Custom player page dashboards! Choose the player cards you want, in the order you want them.
5. One-click data exports! Export our projections and leaderboards for your personal projects.
6. Remove the photos on the home page! (Honestly, this doesn’t sound so great to us, but some people wanted it, and we like to give our Members what they want.)
7. Even more Steamer projections! We have handedness, percentile, and context neutral projections available for Members only.
8. Get FanGraphs Walk-Off, a customized year end review! Find out exactly how you used FanGraphs this year, and how that compares to other Members. Don’t be a victim of FOMO.
9. A weekly mailbag column, exclusively for Members.
10. Help support FanGraphs and our entire staff! Our Members provide us with critical resources to improve the site and deliver new features!
We hope you’ll consider a Membership today, for yourself or as a gift! And we realize this has been an awfully long sales pitch, so we’ve also removed all the other ads in this article. We didn’t want to overdo it.
“Trackman doesn’t really pick up spin very well when it’s under 500 RPMs,” Baz told me. “You’re kind of just guessing, but some of mine aren’t rotating more than once on the way to home. All you’re really looking for is one or two rotations. As long as it’s doing that, you’re going to get some wind effect. Most of the time, the wind is going to push the ball into spinning through the air one way or the other. Usually, the ones that stay still the whole time don’t really change direction.
“I would say that my knuckleballs tend to move more glove-side, as opposed to arm-side” he added. “If I kept messing around with grips, I could probably get it to start moving one way or the other based on where I’m putting the front seams. But while I throw my knuckleball most every day, I don’t really experiment all that much.”
But again, he makes it a point to throw a few of what is arguably his favorite pitch most every day. That includes pregame catch-play, where his partners are typically bullpen catchers Ben Carhart or Joel “Yogi” Polanco. Given the challenge of corralling a butterfly, even they aren’t especially enamored with doing so.
“They know it’s coming,” said Baz. “They’ve seen it and aren’t super surprised. I think Carhart is a little more comfortable with it than Yogi, though. Yogi sometimes looks a little scared. But do I want to eventually throw some in games? I would absolutely love to throw some in games.”
———
RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Joe Morgan went 7 for 11 against Cecil Upshaw.
Cecil Espy went 7 for 10 against Don August.
Cecil Cooper went 10 for 15 against Bill Champion.
Cecil Fielder went 10 for 16 against Andy Pettitte.
Cecil Travis went 11 for 20 against Lynn Nelson.
———
I was planning to wait until he got his first big-league call up to write about Bradley Hanner, but given that nearly three months have passed since our spring training conversation, it’s high time that I do so. Frankly, it’s high time that Hanner gets his long-awaited opportunity. With the caveat that Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot might be a stretch analogously — and Godot never did show up — the 27-year-old right-hander continues to bide his time despite putting up the best numbers of any pitcher in his organization.
Signed by the New York Yankees as a minor league free agent in December, Hanner currently boasts a 1.65 ERA, a 1.99 FIP, and a 34.5% strikeout rate over 27-and-a-third relief innings for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Augmenting those numbers are three wins in as many decisions, and a pair of saves. Moreover, none of the 19 hits he’s allowed have left the yard.
As for his M.O on the mound,, that is what I wanted to learn about when I talked to him in Tampa. The former Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians prospect told me that he currently has a sinker-sweeper approach to righties, whereas to lefties he leans more on cutters and four-seamers. His repertoire has changed over the years — most notably, his sweeper is new to 2022 — and so has his arm slot. More over-the-top when the Twins took him in the 21st round of the 2019 draft out of Martinsville, Virginia’s Patrick & Henry Community College, he now delivers the ball from a lower angle.
Hanner told me that he considers his sweeper his best pitch. As for when he’ll get to display it from atop a big-league mound, only time will tell.
“I’m just staying with it,” Hanner told me in the spring. “Just waiting for my opportunity. Hopefully it will come.”
———-
A quiz:
Which team hit the most home runs in the 1980s, and which team hit the fewest? (A hint: both won a World Series in that decade.)
The answer can be found below.
———
NEWS NOTES
The schedule is out for the 2026 SABR Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference, which will be held from June 18-21 in Memphis. It can be found here.
Mark Bailey, a switch-hitting catcher who saw action with the Houston Astros from 1984-1988, and briefly for the San Francisco Giants in both 1990 and 1992, died on May 26 at age 64. Bailey coached in the Astros system once his playing days were over.
Bob Lacey, a left-hander who pitched for five teams across the 1977-1984 seasons, died earlier this week at age 72. A reliever for all but two of his 284 appearances, he logged a record of 20-29 with 22 saves and a 3.67 ERA. Lacey spent most of his career in an Oakland Athletics uniform.
———
The answer to the quiz is the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals. The Tigers totaled an MLB-best 1,612 home runs in the decade and won the World Series in 1984. The Cardinals hit an MLB-least 759 home runs and won the Series in 1982.
———
Which of the pitchers that Dustin Garneau caught over parts of eight MLB seasons most stands out in terms of an offering with atypical characteristics? Presented with that question, the now-Atlanta Braves catching coach named a pair of righty relievers.
“Luis Garcia, who I caught in Anaheim [in 2019], is one,” Garneau told me. “He was a 100-mph sinkerball guy, and it was short and down. That’s what made him tough. It would blow up your thumb as a catcher.”
“Matt Carasiti had a forkball that basically danced like a knuckleball at 87 mph,” added Garneau, who caught Carasiti in Colorado in 2016. “That was a wild one. Really low spin. It would pop, it would knuckle, but it was firmer than a knuckleball. A true forkball.”
———
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Thomas Hatch signed with the KBO’s SSG Landers earlier this week. The 31-year-old former MLB right-hander had been pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate.
Young Chan You has logged 11 saves while allowing just four hits and one run over a dozen innings for the KBO’s LG Twins. The 29-year-old right-hander pitched for Team Korea in this year’s WBC.
Ryosuke Ohtsu is 6-1 with a 1.14 ERA and a 2.31 FIP over 63-and-a-third innings for NPB’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. The 27-year-old right-hander hurled a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts in his last start.
Haruto Takahashi is 7-0 with a 0.90 ERA and a 1.47 FIP over 69-and-two-thirds innings for NPB’s Hanshin Tigers. The 30-year-old southpaw surrendered a lone run in his last start, with 10 strikeouts and nary a walk in seven innings of work.
Carlos Pérez has six home runs to go with a .412/.462/.647 slash line over 130 plate appearances for the Mexican League’s Diablos Rojos del Mexico. The 29-year-old catcher appeared in 34 games for the Chicago White Sox across the 2022-2023 seasons.
———
Trent Harris isn’t a high-profile prospect — the right-hander ranked 27th on our recently-released San Francisco Giants Top Prospects list with a 40 FV — but that doesn’t mean he lacks promise. The son of former big-league hurler Greg W. Harris (not to be confused with the ambidextrous Greg A. Harris), he was mostly a position player before moving exclusively to the mound after signing as a non-drafted free agent in 2023.
“Pro ball is the first time I’ve been pitching only,” Harris told me during spring training. “I did both in college — I was at UNC Pembroke, a DII in North Carolina — so I’m kind of honing in on my craft right now. I pitched in summer ball, in the Coastal Plain League, and that’s where [the Giants] saw me.”
Three years later, Harris is one step from the big leagues, toeing the rubber for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. He’s not thriving, as evidenced by his 5.94 ERA over 16 relief appearances comprising 16-and-two-thirds innings, but as Brendan Gawlowski wrote in Harris’s scouting profile, “There’s a dash more upside here than usual… there may yet be growth ahead.”
Harris’s father pitched in eight MLB seasons, predominantly with the San Diego Padres. Why then was the progeny primarily an infielder as a collegian?
“Growing up, I was on the lower end of the size spectrum,” explained Harris, who now carries 210 pounds on his 6-foot-1-inch frame. “I never really had a specific position growing up. I could play a little bit around the infield, I caught a little bit, and I always pitched a little bit. I tried to get in the lineup any way I could. Arm strength didn’t catch up until I had my big jump in pro ball.”
———
FARM NOTES
On Tuesday, Jaison Chourio went deep twice in a losing effort as the Akron Rubber Ducks (Double-A, Cleveland) were outscored 15-12 by the Chesapeake Baysox (Baltimore). No. 16 on our Guardians Top Prospects list with a 45+ FV, the 21-year-old outfielder is slashing .331/.438/.489 with four round-trippers and a 147 wRC+ in 170 plate appearances between High-A Lake County and Akron.
On Wednesday, Justin Thomas Jr. launched his second home run of the evening in the ninth inning to give the Asheville Tourists (High-A Houston) a 16-15 walk-off win over the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pittsburgh). An 11th-round pick last year out of the University of Arkansas, the 22-year-old outfielder is slashing .288/.448/.515 with eight home runs and a 142 wRC+ in 212 plate appearances.
Denzer Guzman thoroughly enjoyed his Thursday, going 4-for-5 with a tater and a pair of three-baggers as the Salt Lake Bees (Triple-A, Angels) annihilated the Albuquerque Isotopes by a count of 15-3. No. 6 on our Los Angeles Angels Top Prospects list with a 45 FV, the 22-year-old shortstop is slashing .333/.402/.573 with a dozen home runs and a 136 wRC+ in 264 plate appearances.
Friday’s Dominican Summer League action included the Minnesota Twins entry beating their Miami Marlins counterpart by a core of 21-10. Abel Sosa, a 17-year-old outfielder from Maracay, Venezuela, went 4-for-4 went deep twice and drove in seven runs.
Jake Thompson is slashing .405/.484/.702 with seven home runs in 159 plate appearances for the independent Atlantic League’s Lancaster Stormers. The 28-year-old outfielder from Albert Lea, Minnesota played in the Miami Marlins system from 2022-2025, topping out in Double-A.
———
A random obscure former player snapshot:
John Jaha played in 100 or more games just three times in an injury-marred career, and he put up big numbers in two of them. In 1996, the slugging first baseman homered 34 times while logging 118 RBIs and a 134 wRC+ with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1999, he propelled 35 home runs while driving in 111 runs and putting up a 149 wRC+ with the Oakland Athletics. His one other noteworthy campaign came with the Brewers in 1995 when he clouted 20 round-trippers with a 147 wRC+ over an 88-game sample. Save for those seasons, Jaha was relatively run of the mill when not on the shelf. And he was on the shelf often. All told, the pride of Portland, Oregon played in just 828 games over 10 seasons, finishing with 141 home runs and a 116 wRC+.
———
LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
Orioles broadcaster Brett Hollander is dyslexic, but that doesn’t prevent him from excelling in the radio booth. Rich Dubroff has the story at Baltimore Baseball.
The San Francisco Standard’s John Shea wrote about how the Giants and Logan Webb are thinking about the future.
KBO attendance is booming in record-setting style. Jee-ho Yoo wrote about it for the Yonhap News Agency.
At SABR’s The Negro Leagues Up Close blog, Ryan Whirty wrote about how Willie O’Ree “The Jackie Robinson of Hockey” loved baseball, too.
Not baseball, but notable nonetheless: The FIFA World Cup kicks off later this week, and The Guardian has a comprehensive guide to all of the teams and players.
———
RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
The Washington Nationals have been charged with 55 errors, the most in the majors. The San Diego Padres have been charged with 20 errors, the fewest in the majors.
The Seattle Mariners have committed seven fielding errors and 20 throwing errors. The Arizona Diamondbacks have committed 18 fielding errors and seven throwing errors.
Brayan Bello, whom the Red Sox demoted to Triple-A Worcester earlier this week, has a 10.35 ERA over 35-and-two-thirds innings as a starter. Pitching behind an opener, he has a 0.71 ERA over 25-and-a-third innings. In the four games Bello hasn’t started, the openers combined to allow nine runs over four frames, none of which were scoreless.
Jacob deGrom has started 260 games and is 100-69 with four complete games.
Addie Joss started 260 games and went 160-97 with 234 complete games.
Clayton Richard allowed 1,398 hits, including 149 home runs, and issued 438 walks. Eddie Fisher allowed 1,398 hits, including 149 home runs, and issued 438 walks.
Shohei Ohtani has an 0.74 ERA and a 2.42 FIP.
Adrian Morejon has a 4.60 ERA and a 2.34 FIP.
Liam Hicks has 12 home runs, a 10.2% walk rate, and a 9.3% strikeout rate.
Elly De La Cruz has 12 home runs, an 8.6% walk rate, and a 29.6% strikeout rate.
The New York Mets drafted Steve Chilcott, a high school catcher from Lancaster, California, first overall on today’s date in 1966. The Kansas City Athletics proceeded to take Arizona State University outfielder Reggie Jackson with the second-overall pick.
On today’s date in 2003, Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the ninth inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to an 11-10 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Bill Mueller, and Kevin Millar had all gone deep earlier, Millar doing so with the bases juiced.
Players born on today’s date include Esix Snead, an outfielder who went 4-for-13 with one home run — an 11th-inning walk-off, no less — while getting cups of coffee with the New York Mets in both 2002 and 2004. A speedster, Snead swiped 507 bases, including 109 with High-A Potomac in 2000, over nine minor-league seasons.
Also born on today’s date was Herb Score, a flame-throwing southpaw for the Cleveland Indians who seemed destined for greatness before he was hit in the face by a line drive early in the 1957 season. Score was named AL Rookie of the Year in 1955 after going 16-10 with a 2.85 ERA, and he followed that up going 20-9 with 2.53 ERA in 1956. Moreover, he led the junior circuit in strikeouts both years. Later a longtime broadcaster for the team, Score went 17-26 with a 4.43 ERA across five seasons after returning to the mound, eyesight compromised, in 1958.