Scouting Report
Oswalt throws the following five pitches:
- Four-seam fastball — His main pitch, 91–94 miles per hour (146–151 km/h)
- Two-seam fastball — 90–93 miles per hour (145–150 km/h)
- Curveball — 68–72 miles per hour (109–116 km/h)
- Changeup — 81–84 miles per hour (130–135 km/h)
- Slider — 83–85 miles per hour (134–137 km/h)
Oswalt's repertoire and approach has evolved over time. His changeup was originally a rarely-used circle change. However, in 2010, he changed the grip to make it more similar to a "fosh" grip. Originally a fastball-curveball pitcher, Oswalt has made his changeup part of his standard repertoire. He threw it only 4% of the time in 2008, but that jumped to 19% by 2011. He says it also helps compensate for slightly reduced fastball velocity as a result of his age.
His curveball is still a common 2-strike offering, and his changeup is frequently used in those counts to right-handed hitters. He also often uses the change as a substitute for a fastball when he is behind in the count. He likes to work his fastball high in the strike zone: "It's often the best pitch for me to throw to a guy who is sitting on a fastball. If I throw it high, a lot of times he'll swing and not catch up to it."
Oswalt has had good control throughout his career. He has appeared in the top 10 in the National League in BB/9 rate seven times, as well as six times in strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has also finished four seasons without making an error.
Oswalt is known as one of the faster workers in baseball in terms of time between pitches.
Read more about this topic: Roy Oswalt
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