Maeda has thrown a splitter since 2018, according to Statcast. He told FanGraphs’ David Laurila late last season that he developed the pitch while tinkering with his changeup after struggling with a circle-change early in his MLB career. It’s a three-finger split, with his ring and middle fingers together, but it has proven effective with above-average vertical drop, and he has thrown it more and more with each season.
Maeda threw his splitter 31.9 percent of the time last year, more than anything else in his arsenal. Opponents hit just .182 off it with a 35 percent whiff rate.
By contrast, Miller’s splitter is more recent. He developed it last season with help from Dodgers pitching assistant Connor McGuinness to complement his fastball and combat left-handed hitters. The pitch worked so well that he started using it against hitters from both sides.
“I picked it up and started playing catch with it, kind of got a grip we liked and the rest is history,” Miller explained. “I mean, it’s something that I felt pretty comfortable with from the beginning, and something I feel confident throwing in any count now.”
Miller’s split has less vertical drop than Maeda’s version, and it’s below average for the league. But it has well above-average horizontal movement.
Miller threw splitters for 26.2 percent of his pitches last year, compared with 57.6 percent fastballs. But the split drew a 30.7 percent whiff rate, an 82.1 mph average exit velocity and a .136 batting average allowed. Moreover, it set up success with his fastball, which opponents hit for a .110 average.