This article is a part of Verducci’s View, a new weekly baseball newsletter from Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci. Every Monday, Tom empties out his notebook over email and covers MLB’s hottest topics, provides in-depth analysis through both text and video breakdowns, looks forward to what’s worth watching during the week and more. If you want to be featured in his new mailbag, please email [email protected] with any questions about MLB or his decades in the sport.
Can an old-school, fastball-based power pitching staff win the World Series? As spin has overtaken the game, recent history says no. None of the past 17 full-season champions ranked among the top five teams in fastball usage. Eleven of the 17 champions ranked in the bottom half in fastball use:
