B/R's 2024 Skill Rankings: Picking the Best Fastball on All 30 MLB Teams

A fastball is a pitcher's bread and butter, whether he is a starter atop a team's rotation running through the opposing lineup multiple times or a high-octane reliever trying to slam the door with a handful of outs late in the game.

Even pitchers who are better known for a signature offspeed pitch are generally only able to enjoy so much success with their secondary pitches because they can set things up with their fastball.

Ahead, we have selected the best fastball on each MLB roster, based not simply on radar gun readings, but digging deeper into secondary metrics like expected batting average (xBA), expected slugging percentage (xSLG), strikeouts, whiff rate and usage rate of each player's fastball.

It's difficult to make a one-to-one comparison between four-seam fastballs and other pitches like sinkers and cutters, so along with recognizing the best fastballs, a quick nod is also given to the best sinker and best cutter on each MLB roster.

Let the statistical deep-dive begin!

Usage: 1,601 fastballs, 49.3% usage
Velocity: 93.6 mph (40th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .255 xBA, .441 xSLG, 92 K, 19.2 Whiff%

Zac Gallen threw the fifth-most four-seam fastballs of any pitcher during the 2023 season, and his +27 run value with the pitch trailed only Gerrit Cole (+29) for the most productive fastball in baseball. Taking that one step further, they were the only two pitchers to break a +20 value.

Runner-Up: Paul Sewald
Best Sinker: Ryan Thompson
Best Cutter: Luis Frías

Usage: 1,826 fastballs, 58.9% usage
Velocity: 97.2 mph (93rd percentile)
Opponent Stats: .240 xBA, .418 xSLG, 124 K, 28.7 Whiff%

Spencer Strider had more strikeouts with his fastball than any other pitcher in baseball, finishing off 124 of his MLB-leading 281 punchouts with his blistering four-seamer. He does get burned from time to time with 17 of his 22 home runs allowed coming against his fastball, but that's a symptom of working up in the zone so frequently, which has also been the key to his tremendous early career success.

Runner-Up: A.J. Minter
Best Sinker: Bryce Elder
Best Cutter: Collin McHugh

Usage: 1,084 fastballs, 37.1% usage
Velocity: 93.9 mph (48th percentile)
Run Value: +12 (91st percentile)
Opponent Stats: .260 xBA, .457 xSLG, 68 K, 26.2 Whiff%

Closer Félix Bautista would be the answer here by a landslide, but the 2023 All-Star is expected to miss the entire 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Dean Kremer doesn't light up the radar gun in quite the same way, but his fastball was his bread and butter while he continued to establish himself as a staple in the Baltimore starting rotation. His +12 run value with the pitch was tied for 14th among all pitchers.

Runner-Up: Craig Kimbrel
Best Sinker: Yennier Cano
Best Cutter: Danny Coulombe

Usage: 821 fastballs, 39.1% usage
Velocity: 93.6 mph (42nd percentile)
Opponent Stats: .177 xBA, .327 xSLG, 72 K, 26.0 Whiff%

Kutter Crawford quietly had a breakout season for the Boston Red Sox, finishing with a 4.04 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 135 strikeouts in 129.1 innings. His fastball doesn't clock in with elite velocity, but it plays up thanks to a 2,488 rpm spin rate (96th percentile) that helps generate plenty of swings and misses.

Runner-Up: Nick Pivetta
Best Sinker: Brennan Bernardino
Best Cutter: Chris Martin

Usage: 1,676 fastballs, 62.6% usage
Velocity: 91.8 mph (17th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .280 xBAA, .406 xSLG, 82 K, 20.3 Whiff%

Left-hander Justin Steele threw his fastball more frequently than any qualified starter during the 2023 season, and it helped propel him to a breakout season. The 28-year-old finished 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 176 strikeouts in 173.1 innings to check in fifth in NL Cy Young balloting.

Runner-Up: Julian Merryweather
Best Sinker: Javier Assad
Best Cutter: Mark Leiter Jr.

Usage: 186 fastballs, 63.7% usage
Velocity: 96.3 mph (87th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .239 xBA, .510 xSLG, 6 K, 29.1 Whiff%

There is no obvious answer here for a Chicago White Sox team that has turned over a large portion of its pitching staff, so Garrett Crochet gets the nod. The 24-year-old was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2020 draft and he made his MLB debut with six scoreless innings of relief later that year, but injuries have limited to 72 appearances over four big league seasons.

Runner-Up: Dylan Cease
Best Sinker: Gregory Santos
Best Cutter: Erick Fedde

Usage: 534 fastballs, 44.0% usage
Velocity: 95.2 mph (71st percentile)
Opponent Stats: .203 xBA, .304 xSLG, 42 K, 25.7 Whiff%

This may seem like a surprise selection considering Hunter Greene has some of the best velocity in baseball, but opposing hitters batted .265 with a .518 slugging percentage against his fastball which can get extremely straight at times.

Instead, the pick is reliever Ian Gibaut, who enjoyed the best season of his career at the age of 30. The setup reliever logged a 3.33 ERA with three saves and 23 holds in 74 appearances pitching off a good mid-90s fastball.

Runner-Up: Lucas Sims
Best Sinker: Sam Moll
Best Cutter: Graham Ashcraft

Usage: 1,095 fastballs, 47.1% usage
Velocity: 94.9 mph (67th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .272 xBA, .426 xSLG, 54 K, 19.0 Whiff%

Rookies Tanner BIbee and Gavin Williams are the future of the Cleveland rotation, so it's a promising sign that they graded out with the two best fastballs on the roster in terms of Run Value. Bibee did a slightly better job limiting damage with the pitch, while Williams throws slightly harder, so it's a coin toss for who has the better heater long-term.

Runner-Up: Gavin Williams
Best Sinker: Ben Lively
Best Cutter: Emmanuel Clase

Usage: 646 fastballs, 44.6% usage
Velocity: 93.2 mph (36th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .284 xBA, .583 xSLG, 19 K, 16.7 Whiff%

Is no one an acceptable answer for the Colorado Rockies?

Many of the team's top pitchers feature a sinker as their primary heater, leaving limited options for the title of baseball fastball on the roster. Peter Lambert, 26, gets the nod by default with a mis-90s fastball that he uses a bit less than half of the time while holding down a spot in the Colorado rotation.

Runner-Up: Tyler Kinley
Best Sinker: Daniel Bard
Best Cutter: Jalen Beeks

Usage: 438 fastballs, 36.0% usage
Velocity: 95.8 mph (80th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .190 xBA, .288 xSLG, 42 K, 25.6 Whiff%

Tarik Skubal didn't make his 2023 debut until early July as he continued his recovery from flexor tendon surgery on his throwing arm. The 27-year-old wasted little time shaking off the rust once he did finally return to action, finishing 7-3 with a 2.80 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 102 strikeouts in 80.1 innings. He allowed just one home run with his fastball while generating a strong whiff rate with the pitch.

Runner Up: Matt Manning
Best Sinker: Jason Foley
Best Cutter: Tyler Holton

Usage: 1,682 fastballs, 58.4% usage
Velocity: 92.7 mph (29th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .233 xBA, .489 xSLG, 98 K, 26.5 Whiff%

Cristian Javier (+12), Justin Verlander (+12), Bryan Abreu (+5), Kendall Graveman (+4), Rafael Montero (+2) and Ryan Pressly (+1) all registered positive Run Value metrics with their fastball. Among qualified starters, only Justin Steele (62.6%) and Spencer Strider (58.9%) had a higher usage rate of their fastball than Javier.

Runner-Up: Bryan Abreu
Best Sinker: Framber Valdez
Best Cutter: Luis García

Usage: 636 fastballs, 40.1% usage
Velocity: 96.5 mph (89th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .193 xBA, .358 xSLG, 48 K, 27.9 Whiff%

The Kansas City Royals have been busy upgrading their pitching staff, with Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Will Smith and Chris Stratton all added in free agency. However, the best pitcher on the roster might still be Cole Ragans if he can replicate the success he had last year. The 26-year-old throws five different pitches at least 10 percent of the time, but everything works off his terrific fastball.

Runner-Up: Chris Stratton
Best Sinker: Seth Lugo
Best Cutter: Cole Ragans

Usage: 753 fastballs, 66.8% usage
Velocity: 97.1 mph (92nd percentile)
Opponent Stats: .222 xBA, .371 xSLG, 61 K, 28.5 Whiff%

Hard-throwing Carlos Estévez has always employed a fastball-heavy approach, throwing the pitch more than 60 percent of the time every year dating back to his rookie season in 2016. The 30-year-old signed a two-year, $13.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels last offseason and went on to earn his first All-Star selection, converting 31 of 35 save opportunities with a 3.90 ERA and 11.3 K/9 in 63 appearances.

Runner-Up: Ben Joyce
Best Sinker: Adam Cimber
Best Cutter: Tyler Anderson

Usage: 826 fastballs, 43.6% usage
Velocity: 96.4 mph (88th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .239 xBA, .434 xSLG, 60 K, 24.7 Whiff%

Everything Tyler Glasnow throws is hard, from his upper-90s fastball to his low-90s slider to his hard-biting curveball, and while the curveball is his go-to strikeout pitch, he sets it up with his elite four-seamer. Tip of the cap to 2023 rookie Bobby Miller, who averaged 99.1 mph with his high-octane fastball.

Runner-Up: Bobby Miller
Best Sinker: Brusdar Graterol
Best Cutter: Caleb Ferguson

Usage: 1,375 fastballs, 46.0% usage
Velocity: 96.7 mph (90th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .267 xBA, .478 xSLG, 68 K, 19.4 Whiff%

Sandy Alcántara will miss 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery, but Jesús Luzardo was the better pitcher even before the 2022 NL Cy Young winner hit the injured list. Once a top prospect in the Oakland Athletics system, it has taken Luzardo some time to hit his stride in the big leagues. The 26-year-old is now one of the game's best lefty starters on the strength of his electric fastball-slider combination.

Runner-Up: Tanner Scott
Best Sinker: JT Chargois
Best Cutter: Braxton Garrett

Usage: 1,453 fastballs, 51.2% usage
Velocity: 94.4 mph (56th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .212 xBA, .362 xSLG, 107 K, 29.2 Whiff%

Often viewed as the No. 3 guy on a Milwaukee Brewers staff fronted by Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta is a frontline starter in his own right, and he worked a career-high 165.2 innings in 2023. The 27-year-old ranked fifth in the majors with 107 strikeouts with his fastball, and with Woodruff non-tendered and Burnes on the trade block, he could step into the role of staff ace in 2024.

Runner-Up: Trevor Megill
Best Sinker: Abner Uribe
Best Cutter: Corbin Burnes

Usage: 1,526 fastballs, 56.9% usage
Velocity: 92.3 mph (23rd percentile)
Opponent Stats: .208 xBA, .381 xSLG, 120 K, 28.7 Whiff%

Fun fact: Joe Ryan and Spencer Strider had an identical 28.7 percent whiff rate with their fastballs, showing once again that it doesn't necessarily take elite velocity to have an effective heater. His 120 punchouts with his four-seamer trailed only Strider (124) and Gerrit Cole (121).

Runner-Up: Jhoan Durán
Best Sinker: Pablo López
Best Cutter: Brock Stewart

Usage: 1,036 fastballs, 37.1% usage
Velocity: 95.6 mph (77th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .270 xBA, .446 xSLG, 61 K, 17.1 Whiff%

Kodai Senga has one of baseball's best putaway pitches in a lethal splitter that generated a ridiculous 59.5 percent whiff rate and accounted for 110 strikeouts, and the effectiveness of his mid-90s four-seamer amplifies the effectiveness of that pitch. The 30-year-old also throws a cutter, a sweeper, a slider and a curveball.

Runner-Up: Drew Smith
Best Sinker: Adrian Houser
Best Cutter: Kodai Senga

Usage: 1,739 fastballs, 53.0% usage
Velocity: 96.7 mph (90th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .224 xBA, .401 xSLG, 121 K, 22.7 Whiff%

If we were simply ranking the best fastballs in baseball, Gerrit Cole would almost certainly be penciled into the No. 1 spot on the list. The 33-year-old can light up the radar gun deep into starts, and he tossed an AL-leading 209 innings in 2023 while posting a 2.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 222 strikeouts en route to his long-awaited first Cy Young Award.

Runner-Up: Nestor Cortes
Best Sinker: Clay Holmes
Best Cutter: Clarke Schmidt

Usage: 338 fastballs, 55.5% usage
Velocity: 98.3 mph (97th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .186 xBA, .356 xSLG, 18 K, 21.0 Whiff%

One of the most promising pitching prospects to emerge from the Oakland Athletics system in recent years, Mason Miller was a third-round pick in the 2021 draft and made his MLB debut a few weeks after 2023 Opening Day. The 25-year-old missed significant time with a forearm strain as a rookie, and the plan is now to use him in a bullpen role. Don't be surprised if he's closing games for Oakland in 2024.

Runner-Up: Lucas Erceg
Best Sinker: Paul Blackburn
Best Cutter: Trevor Gott

Usage: 1,370 fastballs, 43.4% usage
Velocity: 95.6 mph (77th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .198 xBA, .335 xSLG, 103 K, 31.4 Whiff%

The foundation of Zack Wheeler's success throughout his time in the big leagues has been his four-seam fastball, and he pairs it with a mid-90s sinker that allows him to work up and down in the zone extremely well. His 103 strikeouts with his fastball were good for the seventh-highest total in the majors in 2023.

Runner-Up: Aaron Nola
Best Sinker: José Alvarado
Best Cutter: José Alvarado

Usage: 641 fastballs, 58.0% usage
Velocity: 96.6 mph (89th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .181 xBA, .332 xSLG, 48 K, 30.3 Whiff%

Starter Mitch Keller and closer David Bednar were both All-Stars in 2023, so it should come as no surprise to see their fastballs highlighted as the best in the organization. Bednar saw a significant uptick in his fastball's spin rate (2,298 to 2,452 rpm) this year, and he allowed just 11 extra-base hits with the 641 fastballs he threw.

Runner-Up: Mitch Keller
Best Sinker: Martin Pérez
Best Cutter: Hunter Stratton

Usage: 380 fastballs, 24.5% usage
Velocity: 93.0 mph (32nd percentile)
Opponent Stats: .217 xBA, .296 xSLG, 23 K, 22.1 Whiff%

Joe Musgrove threw his fastball (24.5%), curveball (23.9%), cutter (20.4%), slider (14.5%) and changeup (11.4%) all more than 10 percent of the time in 2023, and the refinement of his secondary stuff beyond his fastball-slider combination has helped him take his game to another level. His .217 xBA with his fastball was a career-best mark.

Runner-Up: Michael King
Best Sinker: Robert Suarez
Best Cutter: Joe Musgrove

Usage: 357 fastballs, 60.7% usage
Velocity: 93.6 mph (42nd percentile)
Opponent Stats: .204 xBA, .395 xSLG, 24 K, 24.8 Whiff%

The most promising pitching prospect to emerge from the San Francisco Giants farm system since Madison Bumgarner, left-hander Kyle Harrison saw his first MLB action in 2023 and posted a 4.15 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 34.2 innings. Command of his secondary stuff will determine his long-term ceiling, so it's not surprising that he has leaned heavily on his quality fastball.

Runner-Up: Tristan Beck
Best Sinker: Logan Webb
Best Cutter: Camilo Doval

Usage: 1,423 fastballs, 44.4% usage
Velocity: 96.1 mph (85th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .183 xBA, .420 xSLG, 105 K, 33.0 Whiff%

Luis Castillo posted a career-high 44.4 percent usage rate with his fastball in 2023, and over the past three seasons he has slashed the frequency with which he throws his devastating changeup in half. He did serve up 13 home runs with his fastball this year, but he also recorded 105 punchouts while limiting opposing hitters to a .165 average and .384 slugging percentage even with those long balls.

Runner-Up: Andres Muñoz
Best Sinker: Tayler Saucedo
Best Cutter: Justin Topa

Usage: 341 fastballs, 56.2% usage
Velocity: 99.7 mph (99th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .215 xBA, .320 xSLG, 18 K, 23.6 Whiff%

With a fastball that ranked in the 99th percentile for velocity and 100th percentile for spin rate, there is no question Ryan Helsley belongs on this list. The 29-year-old took a small step backward from his lights-out 2022 numbers, but still finished with a 2.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 12.8 K/9 while nailing down 14 of 19 save chances.

Runner-Up: Andre Pallante
Best Sinker: Steven Matz
Best Cutter: Sonny Gray

Usage: 363 fastballs, 49.5% usage
Velocity: 98.9 mph (98th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .142 xBA, .259 xSLG, 42 K, 29.6 Whiff%

A two-pitch reliever with a high-octane fastball and a wipeout slider, Pete Fairbanks used his slider more (38.1 to 49.9 percent) and fastball less (61.4 to 49.5 percent) in 2023, and both pitches were as effective as ever. The 30-year-old had a 2.58 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 13.5 K/9 with 25 saves in 29 opportunities.

Runner-Up: Colin Poche
Best Sinker: Zach Eflin
Best Cutter: Shawn Armstrong

Usage: 1,506 fastballs, 57.9% usage
Velocity: 92.5 mph (26th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .218 xBA, .430 xSLG, 83 K, 25.6 Whiff%

With Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer both poised to open the year on the injured list and miss significant time, two obvious potential answers for the Texas Rangers are removed from the conversation. Left-hander Andrew Heaney doesn't throw particularly hard, but he throws a ton of fastballs, and he limited opposing hitters to a .236 average and logged a strong 25.6 percent whiff rate with the pitch.

Runner-Up: Nathan Eovaldi
Best Sinker: Dane Dunning
Best Cutter: José Leclerc

Usage: 1,560 fastballs, 50.8% usage
Velocity: 94.7 mph (62nd percentile)
Opponent Stats: .271 xBA, .483 xSLG, 109 K, 17.2 Whiff%

Similar to New York Mets rookie standout Kodai Senga, veteran Kevin Gausman is best known for his lethal splitter, but the effectiveness of that pitch stems from his mid-90s fastball. The 32-year-old tallied an AL-leading 237 strikeouts in 2023, and nearly half of them came with his fastball.

Runner-Up: Jordan Romano
Best Sinker: Chris Bassitt
Best Cutter: Génesis Cabrera

Usage: 578 fastballs, 60.0% usage
Velocity: 98.3 mph (97th percentile)
Opponent Stats: .221 xBA, .425 xSLG, 49 K, 26.5 Whiff%

The son of former All-Star closer Bryan Harvey and a top prospect in the Baltimore Orioles system once upon a time, Hunter Harvey could never stay healthy long enough early in his career to properly develop as a starter. The 29-year-old now leans heavily on his electric fastball pitching out of the bullpen, and he had the best season of his career in 2023 with a 2.82 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 9.9 K/9 while tallying 10 saves and 19 holds in 57 games.

Runner-Up: Kyle Finnegan
Best Sinker: Thaddeus Ward
Best Cutter: Josiah Gray