Top 10 Astros Pitchers - Who Has the Best Curve Ball?

TalkZone
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Doing some research on Astros pitchers, and thought I would ask the OW Pros.

My List of Top 10 Astros Curveballs (biggest break 12-6 movement) - Certainly not definitive

  1. Roy Oswalt - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=art9-o_A42A&t=86s (Career vid)
  2. Daryl Kile - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8dWqbX38Cw (no-hitter last batter)
  3. Nolan Ryan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7YopNdjyjQ (career best curves)
  4. Justin Verlander - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8tT6mItVK4 (pitch movement vs LAD)
  5. J.R. Richard - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24XN5Cbw06g (Reggie Jackson ASG AB)
  6. Framber Valdez - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eSarHcebnY (MLB Tonight Curve analysis)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0X0hYguLr8 (no-hitter)
  7. Joe Niekro - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSuiVAlpBKw (Career video)
  8. Mike Hampton - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3JozAVAxRI (Astros v Pirates)
  9. Lance McCullers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjngPW6XVvI (24 straight curve balls NYY)
  10. Andy Petttite - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ms8ZU5q2h4 (Career)
  11. Zack Grienke - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMI8QFJNutU
  12. Charlie Morton - more sidearm, but sheeeet https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oz-Bx6VVNB0

----> Shane Reynolds deserves to be included had him right on the border w/ Morton, Grienke, Pettite.

*** Not old enough to remember Dierks, Cuellar or Don Wilson; no videos I could find on either.

** Stayed away from relievers like Wagner, Sambito, Dave Smith, Dotel, Todd Jones, Lacorte, Danny Darwin, Kerfeld, Pressley (SP)

  • Honorable mention (Andujar, Forsch, M Scott, Clemens, Keuchel, Rhule, Knepper, Harnisch, Miller, Deshaies, Drabek, Randy Johnson, Elarton, Carlos Hernandez, Javier, Lyles, McHugh, Musgrove, Schilling, Don Sutton, Urquidy, Jose Lima).

Who is in your top 10 Astros curveballers list?

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That’s quite the endeavor.

My top 10 probably wouldn’t differ much from yours, but when I read the subject Darryl Kile immediately sprang to mind.

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DK had a nasty curve ball, huge break. Oswalt’s was tighter imo

Sheer number of amazing pitchers for the Astros, I bet there are some here who’s curve is burnt into their memories.

Cheers AFBD!

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I think Carlos Hernandez’s curve was better than honorable mention. It’s just that his career was so short because of his injury that he didn’t get much notice.

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Wandy Motherfucking Rodriguez.

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Great pull.

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Man, you get mad props for this extra credit assignment of yours. Holy shit, that was a fun perusing of Houston Astros pitchers on The Youtube (I also was privy to some amazing ads about relieving constipation and building wealth with AI).

Seriously, well done, I felt a shit load of nostalgia seeing so many of these Astro greats and my favorite quip was Enos Cabell reminiscing about the great Joe Niekro- “He was one of my best friends, we played a long time together, he was a drinking buddy…”

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Nice read. Thanks.

I always liked Eny Cabreja & Carlos Hernandez.

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I second this wholeheartedly.

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Very Cool Post. Funny that I wrote down my top five before I opened so as not to let whatever was there sway my opinion. Kile immediately popped in a number one.

Mine went Kile, Ryan, Framber, Oswalt and Wade Miller of all pitchers.

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Not even a mention of Wandy?

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Hell of a great topic.

My top three would be (in order):

Kile
Ryan
Verlander

If I was old enough to remember seeing him pitch live, Richard would probably also be on the medal stand.

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Mike Cuellar had a nasty curveball. As did Dons - Wilson and Sutton.

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I don’t know about which pitcher had(s) the best curve, but the single instance of the most unhittable curve was McCullers in game 7 of the 2017 ALCS.

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Any stories or videos of Cuellar, Dierker or Wilson would be awesome to see.

I bet they are all on VHS :slight_smile:

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The Curve Ball

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I don’t recall Wilson having a great CB. I could be mis-remembering but I don’t recall that. Nasty slider, yes.

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I’m sure someone could argue differently, but it would be tough to do.

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Richard was a slider not a curve.

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My Lifetime:

RHP:

Kile, Ryan, Oswalt, Morton, JV, (27 McCullers?)

LHP:

Framber, Hernandez, Wandy, Hampton, (Knepper had to be good, because he threw slop and got people out)

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