Bailey Falter realized in high school in Chino Hills, Calif., that something was different about his fastball. The left-handed pitcher found it weird that his velocity was only registering in the mid- to high-80s but he was “just absolutely blowing it by those guys.”
When Falter was in the minor leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies, he befriended an analytics staffer who explained that his extension was elite and gave his four-seamer the appearance of a pitch traveling three or four mph faster.
“That’s when I found out we actually had something there,” Falter said.
Falter (6-7, 4.25 ERA) has been something of a surprise for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting rotation this season, ranking behind only Mitch Keller in games started (22) and innings pitched (112 1/3) going into Friday’s start at the Cleveland Guardians.
That’s despite Falter ranking sixth in strikeouts (79) — behind lefty reliever Aroldis Chapman — while issuing the third-most walks (33). Per Statcast, Falter also ranks in the red — or poor — in almost every pitching category. In fact, he’s in the bottom 10th percentile in expected batting average (.279), expected ERA (5.11) and whiff percentage (19.6%) and the 11th percentile in strikeout rate (17.1%).
The statistics aren’t the only thing deceiving about Falter. The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder ranks in baseball’s top 2% with an extension of 7.4 feet, which is a foot better than the league average. An elite extension shortens the distance between the pitcher and the batter, which explains why half of Falter’s pitches are four-seam fastballs.
“I think the extension is what stands out,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I mean, it’s elite extension and I know that can be considered a little nerdy. It’s basically the old adage of the ball gets on you a little faster than you think and 90 looks like 94. … It’s something we identified. We thought, especially with our ballpark being the fact that it’s bigger in left-center field, that it would be advantageous for us.”
Bailey Falter's extension is crazy
Here's the Statcast 3D animation of it, followed by a close up shot of his extension from later in the broadcast https://t.co/UvubtGUYVw pic.twitter.com/CKxdyiIku8
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) June 30, 2024
A pause adds to the deception in Falter’s delivery, to which he made a slight adjustment. In an effort to use his legs more, he’s starting in a lower crouch position. The hesitation move isn’t as demonstrative as Marcus Stroman’s flamingo move, where he lifts one leg up in his windup and then pauses for a few seconds before continuing to throw the pitch, but it allows Falter to make sure his plant foot is in the proper place so he’s pitching from a position of strength.
“It just throws off hitter’s timing,” Shelton said. “Hitting is timing, so anytime you can throw it off just by a little bit and keep guys off the barrel, then you’re in a good spot.”
Bailey Falter can paint
91.6* MPH fastball, 2140 RPM, 15 inVB, 1 inHB
*(98th percentile Extension) pic.twitter.com/pN0XTPEo7R
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) June 13, 2024
That happened early this season, as Falter posted six quality starts in his first 11. He’s only had one since, holding the Cincinnati Reds to two runs over seven innings in a 2-1 loss on June 18. Falter hasn’t completed six innings in any of his subsequent starts.
When Falter doesn’t hit his spots, he can get hit hard. Shelton cited the necessity of throwing to thirds of the plate and the importance of execution of pitches, “especially when he’s behind in the count.” Falter called the 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 23 a “perfect example,” as he allowed five runs on six hits and two walks.
“I feel like there was something maybe not quite efficient in my delivery, which I was trying to force a lot of things,” Falter said. “That left me putting some elevated pitches over the plate. Afterward, it puts so much stress on your body when you’re not able to repeat your mechanics the same. I noticed that something was off from a delivery standpoint. … More sore than normal on days when I feel like I’m forcing stuff, trying to manipulate. With my extension, I get so far down the mound that it puts a lot of stress on my glutes and my mid to lower back — not only the arm but that’s sore as well.”
Falter hopes to benefit from extended rest between starts. Meantime, he’s tinkering with a changeup and concentrating on using his extension to his benefit, as it has become a signature of his pitching.
“That’s 100% who I am,” Falter said. “I always joke around with all the guys: Left-handed with pretty good extension, that’s the reason I still have a job around these parts, for sure. It definitely does help my case.”
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
