[Syd Thrift]

Yeah, it's also worth pointing out that this idea of discrete pitches, while definitely true for pitcher to pitcher, is really just a taxonomical distinction when looking at an entire league. A guy like Sandy Koufax threw a fastball with a huge amount of "hop", while Andy Benes, who would be counted to throw the same pitch, had a ball that looked like a laser beam to hitters (that is, it emerged exactly where they thought it would at the plate). IIRC one of the criticisms leveled at Japanese pitchers has been that their fastballs, perhaps due to the insane amount of training they put into throwing and hitting, have little to no movement on them.

I imagine that in OOTP20 pitches will be graded in terms of their velocity, the direction and amount of break, how well the pitcher controls them, the angle the pitch comes from, and how well they disguise what's coming until it's out of their hand. There will probably be some sort of neural network that looks at things and says "okay, this is the fastest pitch this guy throws and it breaks downward. Therefore it's a sinker". Also, there'll be spandex jackets, one for everyone.