No. 1 / Slurve: Average Sideways Movement / 2018
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Slurve: Average Sideways Movement 2018
Average sideways bend from the pitch's initial flight direction, in inches. Positive is to the pitcher's right when looking toward home plate; negative is left. This direction stays the same for left- and right-handed pitchers. Zero is a real measurement. More movement is not automatically better. Uses pitches recorded as slurve.
At least 100 pitches of this type with sideways movement measured in this season. Recorded pitch types. Usage divides by all delivered pitches, including unknown types. Speed is in mph, spin in rpm and extension in feet. Averages use measured pitches only. Whiffs divide misses by swings. Movement is in inches. Positive sideways movement is to the pitcher's right when looking toward home plate. Positive vertical movement is upward relative to the initial flight direction. Removing gravity does not mean the pitch literally rises. Larger or smaller movement is not automatically better. Data through December 31, 2018. Data refreshed Sep 9, 2026, 2:25 PM UTC.
| # | Player | Team | SV side count | Type coverage | SV side in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  D. BetancesDellin Betances |  NYY | 197 | 99.9% | |
| 2 |  M. StromanMarcus Stroman |  TOR | 513 | 100.0% | |
| 3 |  J. BerríosJosé Berríos |  MIN | 907 | 97.2% |
- SV side in
- Average sideways bend from the pitch's initial flight direction, in inches. Positive is to the pitcher's right when looking toward home plate; negative is left. This direction stays the same for left- and right-handed pitchers. Zero is a real measurement. More movement is not automatically better. Uses pitches recorded as slurve.
Understanding Slurve: Average Sideways Movement
Average sideways bend from the pitch's initial flight direction, in inches. Positive is to the pitcher's right when looking toward home plate; negative is left. This direction stays the same for left- and right-handed pitchers. Zero is a real measurement. More movement is not automatically better. Uses pitches recorded as slurve.
Formula: Sum of recorded sideways movement ÷ pitches with sideways movement measured
Read rates alongside playing time. A small sample can produce an extreme result, and a missing value is different from zero.
Season rankings use regular-season records. A player has one combined row across teams; the team label identifies the associated team, not a separate team stint.
Source: MLB statistics and MLBDB derived measures. Formulas describe the measure above. Data refreshed Sep 9, 2026, 2:25 PM UTC.