Gyro vs. Sweeper | Which Slider Should You Be Throwing?

Are you throwing the wrong slider? 🧐

Performance Coach Tyler Zombro explains whether you should go for gyro or sweep and the different ways to grip them.
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[YohanceCapili]

Here's some clips of the slow-motion release of sliders :

0:53 Gyro Slider ( Jacob DeGrom )

1:52 Gyro

2:21 Gyro ( MLB clip )

2:54 Sweeper ( MLB clip )

3:31 Sweeper ( MLB clip )

3:40 Sweeper ( Shohei Ohtani )

4:42 Sweeper Baby spike ( MLB clip )

4:56 Sweeper

[masonturner]

In my last year of college I threw both a gyro and a sweeper. In my experience, the gyro is more of a “jack of all trades” pitch. Can be used in any count to get ahead, come back, or put away. I found the pitch easier to command because of the mechanics of release; slight supination and pull down the side. The sweeper, by contrast I used as more of a put away chase to right handers. It’s definitely harder to master and can change by the day depending on how it’s coming out. My best ones I used the cues of “underneath curveball” with the two seam grip. My best gyros would be 82-85 and my best sweepers were 78-81 for context.

[keeganyost]

I love throwing the wirly seam shifted slider. You can throw it vary hard with a lot of movement. If you can find the right spot on it Thu.

[oregonxyz]

I'm 60 and play in a rec league. I have been throwing the sweeper grip for a long time now. I try to make it look like a fastball with late break left and down (little movement), when I can do it. Other times, it slows down and has a lot of movement.

The grip is key. The more the ball is off center in my hand, the slower and more break.

What works best is to get max velocity for me, (not a lot at my age). Spot it low and away, but barely in the strike zone. Same place for lefty hitters to make them hit grounders to the right side of infield.

Right hand batters pop up to second or right, or hit routine grounders to short or third. Sometimes it gets crushed. Oh well. Get a few strike outs, but mostly just want the hitters to put the ball in play and give the defense a chance to make a play.

The more late break, the better. Good hitters can track a constant break and swing to the spot that the ball will move to.

Key is to have the correct arm angle (close to right angle) and use body to come down hill on mound and use those stomach muscles to bend at the waist and snap the wrist at the end of pitch.

I give up hits but get a lot of outs from the 7 guys behind me. All I want to do is stay out of big innings for the other team. I usually get a strike out about every other inning - all hacking away.

I want to stay away from the slower bigger break because it is harder for the catcher to throw down to second and the delivery is a little slower as well from me.

One time recently, I threw this killer sweeper to a lefty batter. It started middle of plate, knee high. It had a break that started early, but increased as it got close to the plate. The batter swung and it went so far low and inside that the catcher couldn't snag it. I sometimes amaze myself by throwing a great pitch. Trouble is - I can't do it again until I get lucky again. I love this game. It is so hard to master.

[williamcampbelljr]

I have been messing around with the sweeper and this really helped thanks

[jrollis]

This video made me realize that my "cutter" is actually a "sweeper"

[damion]

When i was younger my slider was almost like a j. Where it got to a certain distance it would drop hard and it looked like a j. But after i got older, threw it the same way yet it had a diagonal sluver movement. And never threw a curveball unless it was 12/6 but honestly, I never saw a slider ever be the same as another. Everyone had a different break to it

[brianpirone]

I throw both and tunnel them it’s brought me a lot of success

[STLproject]

I baby spike/knuckle with index and pull down with middle finger on the curve of the horseshoe to create the sweep. I’ve never been able to gyro or create that dime in the middle of the ball as it spins.

[u.Jabroni]

I Have been slowly lowering my arm angle to about a Low 3/4 slot. Just feels more natural and It doesnt hurt my shoulder or elbow. My gyro slider started to suck. So I was fucking around with a sweeper today and holy shit dude that thing started back of the righty batters box and ended in the zone, im trying to develop a sinker to offset it and throw sweeper back foot to leftys and sinker back foot R/R. Also, Love the vids

[kargo]

My armslot is straight up over the top like really over the top, if I grip the ball on the right side of the horseshoe and throw it like a football and and roll it off my index and middle finger I can create a sweeper movement

[ronaldandlinda]

I always thought it was called a slider because it "slid" across the plate from right to left or left to right. Anymore they are calling a wide range of pitches sliders when they look more like curves or sinkers in the actual pitch. So what exactly is considered a slider today? Is it just the grip or is it the mechanics, the way its delivered? Please, someone please clarify this for me.

[Ski]

Any tips for throwing a seam shifted weight sweeper

[trance]

I wish I could throw a sweeper, that pitch is sexy as hell.

[Jeffgy]

My high school season just ended and I took about a month off. My best pitch had been a sweeper that barely anybody could hit. About a week ago I started pitching again and did some experimenting. I gained probably about 5 miles per hour on my fast ball. Now when I throw my slider it has more velo but less break, although the break is still above average. So I was wondering if you think that I should maybe slow my slider down to get more movement or throw with more velo and less break.

[theodorebervoets]

I started accidentally throwing a sweeper when I was trying out a new curveball grip and I threw one without much pronation and it was gross. I have much better command for my gyro grip though. Any advice for ensuring my release is consistent every time for sweepers?

[frankpalancio]

Love hitting gyro sliders. Fear the sweepers

[jamman-vner]

Do you guys have a location near maryland?

[mlbrhp]

How much is it worth to you to find out what's really happening with the slider that changed the MLB landscape? Wouldn't you like to know exactly how it's thrown? Would you mention the guys name. I can tell you one thing, he explains how to throw it in exactly 9 words and there is absolutely zero misunderstanding. Did you know, Cole, Flaherty, Fried, Giolito, Morton and 300 more guys couldn't avg over a K an IP until they learned football slider? Morton was done, he learned $$$$ SL Cole couldn't avg a K an IP until 2018, he learned $$$$ SL Glasnow and Musgrove were nothing without $$$ SL get the hint?

[mlbrhp]

Tyler, You don't even know what's going on. This pitch is now on google with another name. The guy who started it states exactly how it's thrown. He makes it VERY CLEAR and There's is zero technology behind the pitch. The pitch lab thing is great for up and coming coaches, some who never pitched competitive ball to get job and into the pro game. Matt Blake, Ethan Katz, Rob Hill to name a few... Since you have zero clue what the real name of this slider is and how to throw it, I hope you do your research and speak what's really happening. I can tell you Glasnow, Musgrove, Taillon, Crick, Clevinger, Bauer, Flaherty, Kuhl, Marquez, and 400 more know exactly what this pitch is really called how it's exactly thrown and where and when it started. Good luck finding out because the number one thing is cashing in first on this differently shaped slider. Musgrove, Glasnow is next to cash in with this