There are only so many things a right-handed pitcher can do to pick off a baserunner. Pivot quickly, throw very hard and accurately. That’s pretty much the size of it.
But lefties, man. They can do some cool stuff – the angled step toward first, the quick-step sidearm throw. I’ve seen some fun pick-offs.
I’ve never seen this, though:
Why I don't trust pitchers…. https://t.co/Z89b4MEA8h
— John Peabody (@PeabodyBaseball) February 29, 2016
That’s Blake Fox of Rice University, nailing an unsuspecting runner who thought the lefty was just gonna take a casual wipe of his brow. You sneaky Fox, you.
You can see the full play here at Deadspin. Well, you can see the full pitcher side of things – Fox was so sneaky that the camera never even swung to first base.