More splitters?

I just watched some video clips on X. An interesting one is that in a video, it clearly shows that Clayton Kershaw was throwing a split-finger. And he struck out the batter he faced.

Well, Kershaw’s split-finger might be like a split-changeup. However, after watching the video, I’m just wondering if there are more pitchers who throw a splitter in the majors. To solve my doubt, I decided to check on the statcast website.

 

Back in 2008, there were 10000+ splitters thrown in the season. Nonetheless, in 2009, the number dropped. Fewer than 9700 split-fingers were thrown in the league. In 2010, the number bounced back. There were more than 10000 splitters thrown in the majors. From 2011 to 2013, the number didn't change much. There were 10000+ split-fingers thrown in the league each season.

In 2014 and 2015, the number went up. There were more than 11000 splitters used in the majors each season. Nonetheless, the number decreased to 10290 in 2016. Interestingly, the usage of splitters increased in 2017. There were 12000+ split-fingers thrown in the majors. Nevertheless, the usage of splitters declined in 2018 with a total number of pitches of 10649. Nonetheless, the number went up in 2019. In that season, more than 11000 split-fingers were thrown in the majors. The splitter usage was 1.6% in the league.

The 2020 season was a shortened one. The splitter usage was 1.9%. In 2021 and 2022, there were more than 11000 split-fingers each season. In the 2023 season, the number went up significantly. There were more than 16000 splitters used in the majors and the usage of splitter rose up to 2.2%. Last season, the number kept going up. There were more than 22000 split-fingers thrown in the majors and the usage of splitter reached 3.1%.

As we can see, we have seen more splitters in the majors. From 2008 to 2022, the splitter usage was below 2% each season. Over the last 2 seasons, the number just kept increasing.

But is throwing a splitter a good idea? In 2008 and 2009, batting average against splitters was .233 in the majors. From 2010 to 2017, batting average against split-fingers was below .230 each season. In 2018 and 2019, batting average against splitters was below .200 each season. From 2021 to 2023, the league batting average against splitters was below .200. In particular, batting average against splitters was .184 in 2021. Last season, batting average against sinkers was .203.

As such, it seems that over the last several seasons, pitchers tend to throw this type of pitch more. And the outcome of throwing splitters wasn’t bad. From 2021 to 2023, it clearly demonstrated that hitters in the majors didn’t hit well against splitters. Last season, batting average against split-fingers was over .200. But still, it’s not easy to hit well. This season hasn’t come to an end. Nonetheless, a key thing worth watching is whether the total pitches of splitters thrown will be more than 22000 or the number will be even higher than the number in 2024.