Chad Bradford was one of the poster boys for Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis, a book set in the 2002 Major League Baseball season.
In the book, Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane considered Bradford a bargain, good value for his pay. Since that season, he has played for four more teams, each year pitching well. Yet, as you can see from the chart below, he has the slowest fastball in Major League Baseball. Can he be effective? Turns out, he can be very effective. The most remarkable part of his career are the 17 consecutive scoreless appearances in postseason play coming into 2008. During this past postseason, pitching for Tampa Bay, we saw his streak interrupted, but he continued to dominate, and has only allowed one run in 23 1/3 career playoff innings for a carer playoff 0.39 ERA.
How slow did he pitch in the regular season last year?
| Slowest 2008 Fastballs |
| Pitcher | Average
Fastball Speed |
| Chad Bradford, Orioles-Rays | 79.6 |
| Jamie Moyer, Phillies | 81.2 |
| Tom Glavine, Braves | 82.1 |
| Livan Hernandez, Twins-Rockies | 83.7 |
| Greg Maddux, Padres-Dodgers | 83.7 |
| Doug Davis, Diamondbacks | 84.6 |
| Barry Zito, Giants | 84.9 |
| Cla Meredith, Padres | 85.1 |
| R.A. Dickey, Mariners | 85.1 |
| Kenny Rogers, Tigers | 85.2 |
Notice a few other famous names on this list? Glavine and Maddux are probably destined for baseball’s Hall of Fame.
Can you be effective with a slow fastball? Definitely.
Oh, you want to know the fastest fastballs? We have that, too . . .
| Fastest 2008 Fastballs |
| Pitcher | Average
Fastball Speed |
| Matt Lindstrom, Marlins | 96.9 |
| Jonathan Broxton, Dodgers | 96.3 |
| Brian Wilson, Giants | 95.8 |
| Manny Delcarmen, Red Sox | 95.5 |
| Jose Valverde, Astros | 95.5 |
| Brandon Morrow, Mariners | 95.5 |
| Matt Thornton, White Sox | 95.3 |
| Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox | 95.3 |
| Joel Hanrahan, Nationals | 95.2 |
| Chris Perez, Cardinals | 95.2 |
Source: Baseball Info Solutions, minimum 500 fastballs.