top 5 submarine pitchers of all time

Hello y’all today I am going to write about something cool and unheard a type of pitch that is very unheard it is called the submarine pitch. A submarine pitch is a pitch that is released underhand usually just above the ground. Submarine pitchers are a rare breed in the MLB due to the fact that it is often viewed as a unatural way of pitching since we are always taught you always pitch overhand and it can often cause back problems in the future. So without further adieu lets take a look at the top 5 submarine pitchers of all time

1.  Brad Ziegler: Brad is currently a 37-year-old MLB free agent who played in both the american league and the national league in 2016 Playing for the Diamondbacks and the red sox. He boasted a very average 2.25 ERA in 2016 along with 58 strikeouts and 22 saves in 69 (giggles like a 8th grade boy) games in 2016. He has been a very good relief pitcher playing in the MLB since 2008 playing for the Oakland Athletics from 2008 to 2011 and then played in the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2011 to 2016 and then the Boston Red Sox He has pitched in 604 games and has a career era of 2.44 which is the eight lowest era of all time with pitchers that have over 500 game appearances leading that list are legends such as mariano rivera and Christy Mathewson. He also has 403 career strikeouts and 85 career saves

2.  Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Darren O Day: Okay usually I will post a photo of the guy pitching but this photo is so savage i don’t want to deprive others of the opportunity to see it. Darren is the second guy on this list and has played in the MLB same amount of time as Ziegler starting in 2008 playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 and then the New York Mets in 2009 and the texas rangers playing with the until 2011 and then going to his current team the Baltimore Orioles in 2012. Darren has pitched in 493 games and has gotten 17 saves and 34 wins. Along with a 2.41 career ERA and 469 career strikeouts. His best season would come in 2015 when he made the all-star team and got 85 strikeouts and 6 saves and a 1.52 ERA

3.  Relief Pitcher Gene Garber 1969-1988: Gene was a great pitcher and an all time braves favorite loved by many and hated by few mainly Pete Rose because he ended his 44 game hitting streak on august 1st 1978 while playing for the braves.Gene had started his career in 1969 with the Pittsburgh pirates playing there until 1972 (note he missed a year in 1971).

Then going to the Kansas city royals for one year and a half until he was traded to the philadelphia phillies midway through the season. While playing with the phillies he experienced very big success getting 51 saves and 33 wins and 290 strikeouts and a 2.68 ERA. He also won the first phillies postseason game in 62 years in 1977 when he beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in-game 1 of the 1977 NLCS at dodgers stadium.

He would go on to then play for the Atlanta Braves. From 1978-1987 where he would get a 141 saves the third almost all time in braves history right next to hall of Famer Jon Smoltz and current boston red sox closer Craig Kimbrel.  He would end his career in 1988 going back to the royals once again. He would finish his career with a 3.34 career era,218 saves, 96 wins and 940 career strikeouts.

4.  Relief Pitcher Dan Quisenberry 1979-1990: the late great Dan Quisenberry: ”I lull them into a false sense of security by watching me pitch… If overconfidence can cause the Roman Empire to fall I ought to be able to get a ground ball” Dan Quisenberry. Besides saying great quotes dan could pitch pretty well also. Dan played in the MLB for 12 years from 1979-1990 playing for the Kansas city royals the brunt of his career and then playing is last two seasons with the st louis cardinals (playing for them in 1989) and the san francisco giants (playing for them in 1990).

Dan was an interesting pitcher the one thing that set him apart from most relief pitchers is he didn’t have a fastball. He used his unique pitch the submarine pitch go  deceive hitters aiming them not to . Dan also had a sinking fastball and a curveball and a change-up in his pitching repertoire.

Dan has had many achievements throughout his MLB career such as being the first pitcher to get 40 saves in a season getting 45 in 1983 and then 44 the next season in 1984. dan was definitely a control pitcher then a power pitcher whose goal is to throw as hard and fast as possible and get as many strikeouts in a short amount of time.

A control pitcher on the other hand is someone who can locate his pitch in the end zone and throw accurately and a great way to measure a players control is there walks per 9 inning ratio or there strikeout to walk ratio you see a control pitcher will focus on his accuracy instead of velocity and therefore will throw in the strike zone more and allow fewer walks. Dan was such a control pitcher he only allowed 11  walks in 1983 and 12 in 1984 and he pitched a 139 innings in 1983 and a 129 innings in 1984.

dans career stats would be a 56-46 win loss record,a 2.76 career ERA,244 career saves and 379 career strikeouts, a very impressive 1.175 career WHIP. Dan had a very great career also making it to the all-star game 3 times in his career (1982,1983 and 1984) and he also won the now discontinued award for best relief pitcher in the american league and national league 5 times (1980,1982-1985)

5.  Relief pitcher Chad Bradford 1998-2009: FOr those of you who have seen or read the book moneyball you probably have heard about Chad Bradford. Chad was originally viewed as weak pitcher with slow velocity (his fastball was usually at least in the mid 80s) and he had a unorthdox pitching delivery also known as the aforementioned submarine pitch.

Chad was unfortunately overlooked or viewed by most MLB scouts as that one drunk guy who goes up to each girl at the bar and tries way to hard but always gets rejected and then there is that one girl who is either drunk or looking to get back at her ex or piss off her dad and sees him and picks him up. Well that girl was Oakland athletics general manager Nilly Beane who with some convincing by his assistant Paul Depodesta (aka peter brand played by Jonah Hill) to give him a chance.

Chad started his MLB career in 1998 for the chicago white sox and would continue there until 2000. Then going to the Oakland Athletics from 2001-2004 then the boston red sox in 2005 and then the New York Mets in 2006 and then finishing his career off with the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa bay rays (chad played with the baltimore orioles from 2007-2008 and the tampa Bay Rays from 2008-2009)

Chad would pitch in a total of 561 games in his 12 year career and pitch a total of 515 innings. He would manage to get a 3.26 career ERA, 36 wins and 11 saves and 313 career strikeouts. His career was not very good but he did get to be portrayed in the movie moneyball by actor Casey Bond http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4000166/