What did we learn about Coleman Crow in his debut? He's got 'chutzpah' and nasty stuff

Yahoo Sports2h ago13 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Coleman Crow made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers, pitching 5 ⅔ innings and allowing two runs while striking out four. His pitch mix, particularly his sinker and curveball, impressed viewers despite an average fastball velocity of 91.4 mph.

Key points

Coleman Crow made his MLB debut for the Milwaukee Brewers
He pitched 5 ⅔ innings, allowing two runs
Crow struck out four batters during the game
His fastball averaged 91.4 mph
Trevor Megill commented on Crow's impressive pitch mix

Coleman CrowTrevor MegillMilwaukee BrewersMiami Marlins

MIAMI – Trevor Megill was no different than fans back home watching Coleman Crow make his big-league debut, learning in real time about the young right-hander’s pitch mix and witnessing how he turned the strike zone into a tic-tac-toe board.

“I was stretching out for most of it, but I got to watch for a couple full innings,” Megill said. “And when I finally started to watch what he was doing from the broadcast view, I was like holy [expletive], man, he’s got good stuff. He really does. That sinker and curveball mix is nasty. Just good talent. He’s an example of what the Brewers do.”

Crow’s MLB debut, which spanned 5 ⅔ innings and saw him surrender two runs with four strikeouts in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 7-4 win in extra innings over the Miami Marlins, was, as Megill put it, nasty.

The 5-foot-10 right-hander isn't overpowering anyone. His fastball, even with the bonus of debut-game adrenaline that had him shaking in the dugout like an overcaffeinated toddler, averaged just 91.4 mph. He got just three total swings and misses all night.

BOX SCORE: Brewers 7, Marlins 5 (10 innings)

Yet this start was the perfect depiction of what Crow does well.

He’s an elite spinner of the baseball and is able to generate massive movement in all sorts of different directions. Crow’s cutter, a new pitch he added last year that helped take his game to another level, averaged 2,936 rpm, making it the highest-spinning cutter in all of Major League Baseball this year.

“It’s been really good,” Crow said of the cutter. “Having it to play off that two-seam, the shapes complement each other, one going east, one going west. It’s one of my best in-zone pitches. I command it really well. It’s not straight, obviously. It’s off the[four-seam] fastball and I throw it hard. I feel like it’s my bread and butter.”

Hearing Crow give that title to his cutter was fascinating, because for the longest time the curveball, another wicked spinner, had it. The curveball, don’t get it twisted, is probably still Crow’s best pitch because its massive two-plane movement gets it more whiffs than any of his other offerings, but Crow’s ability to command his cutter to both righties and lefties makes it integral.

The first two outs of the game for Crow came on the cutter, and he didn’t stop chucking it. It was his most-utilized pitch at 30% usage.