Snell's miss rate of 53.2 percent on his curveball in 2018 was the highest by any pitcher in the past 10 seasons (min. 100 curveballs thrown). He more than doubled his usage of the pitch -- He offered it 587 times after throwing 234 in 2017 -- and for good reason.

"The whole instructional league [in 2013] was learning how to throw a curveball. After that, I'd throw it here and there, and it was always good, but I love my fastball. This year, I saw how no one could hit it, and it was like, start throwing it a lot more."

The Grip Snell has turned heads with his vintage, big-looping curveball. The pitch is traditionally thrown by cupping the bottom seam with the index finger while the thumb grips the back of the baseball. Snapping the wrist downward generates the spin that gives the pitch its movement.

Top Five Pitches Date Batter Spin Rate 1 9/23/18 Richard Urena 2,767 2 9/23/18 Randal Grichuk 2,759 3 9/29/18 Teoscar Hernandez 2,752 4 8/26/18 Xander Bogaerts 2,747 5 8/26/18 Xander Bogaerts 2,741

Percent Thrown By Location 0.3 1.4 0.9 0.7 0.3 1.4 3.4 2.0 0.2 0.2 2.7 6.5 3.9 1.7 0.5 2.9 9.2 9.0 2.2 0.2 2.9 11.0 21.0 16.0 53.2% .126 30.5%

The Cut These players just missed the cut but are each armed with a unique pitch that garnered consideration for the league's most dominant offering. Justin Verlander, Astros Verlander threw 495 curveballs in 2018, the third-lowest total in his 12-year career, but he was still effective with the pitch. His 28.3 putaway percentage was considerably above the league average of 22.4, but his 34.4 percent miss rate ranked 28th among starting pitchers (minimum 300). Aaron Nola, Phillies Nola used his curveball as a strong complement to his two-seamer and threw it 992 times - a career high.