Is a cutter the same as a two-seam fastball?
Batters are used to either straight four-seam fastballs or two-seam fastballs that break to the pitcher's arm side. The cutter breaks in the opposite way of a two-seamer, and it does so late in the game. It is used by some major league pitchers as a secondary pitch. The cutter was originally a splitter that few batters could handle because it broke so much to the opposite field. Today, most cutters still have some movement to them, but they are easy pitches to hit because they come at you so quickly. Cutters can be used as a changeup or a curveball, depending on what kind of spin is put on the ball. A pitcher who uses the cutter well can keep the batter off balance with different pitches. This makes it harder for hitters to pick up signals and adjust their approaches from one pitch to the next. Use of the cutter has declined greatly in recent years, probably due to the increase in speed on the baseball. However, it remains important for any pitcher looking to add a second swing-and-miss pitch to his arsenal.