Key Stat: Among pitches that have ended at least 20 plate appearances, it's the last left standing with a .000 average.

It must be said that Drew Rasmussen deserves more recognition as one of MLB's best starters. In 40 appearances since he moved into the Tampa Bay Rays rotation on Aug. 12, 2021, he's pitched to a 2.50 ERA.

As to how he's done so, it helps that pretty much everything he throws is straight-up filth. But there's little question that his best pitch is a cutter that has some unusual properties.

It's not the velocity that makes Rasmussen's cutter special. At 88.2 mph, it actually comes in a little slower than the MLB average of 88.8 mph.

Rather, it's the movement. When you think of the typical cutter, you probably think of something that, Mariano Rivera-like, breaks hard and late to the pitcher's glove side. The action on Rasmussen's slider is more downward-biting, generally making it look more like a slider or even like a miniature split-fingered fastball at times.