Anthony Bender’s sweeper is Statcast’s run-value darling, and it’s reshaping how Miami thinks about leverage

The narrative for “best pitch in baseball” often gravitates toward obvious velocity, marquee names, or the kinds of breakers that show up on highlight packages. On Monday, MLB’s own research stream pointed in a different direction: Miami Marlins right-hander Anthony Bender. According to Statcast’s run value per 100 pitches, Bender’s sweeper is worth four runs per 100 pitches, leading MLB and beating several bigger-profile breaking-ball threats.

The ranking is more than trivia. MLB’s breakdown places Bender’s sweeper ahead of Chicago White Sox reliever Tanner Scott’s slider (3.9), Shohei Ohtani’s sweeper (3.9), and Tampa Bay Rays starter Drew Rasmussen’s sinker (3.7). It also notes where the usual suspects land: Jacob Misiorowski’s slider is eighth at 3.2, and Oakland Athletics closer Mason Miller’s slider is 35th at 2.6.

What gives Bender’s result its edge is how the pitch behaves once it leaves his hand. MLB reported he throws the sweeper 49% of the time, and that it generates 19.8 inches of glove-side break. The same report frames that movement as 5.9 inches better than league average, and calls it a career-best for the veteran reliever, improving from 16.8 inches in 2025 when the sweeper was worth three runs per 100 pitches.

That sweeping action sits inside a broader package designed for late-inning at-bats. MLB described Bender as pitching from a 16-degree arm angle with a 6-foot-4 frame, and also mentioned a sinker that averages 96.4 mph. On the outcomes side, the report credits a 27.4% strikeout rate that ranks in the 83rd percentile across MLB. It also points to an ability to avoid damage, citing a 78th percentile hard-hit rate, defined in the report as contact at 95 mph or harder.

The bullpen value matters, even if run-prevention metrics never tell the whole story. Through June 8, Bender is described as having a 3.04 ERA in 27 appearances for the Marlins, with a rougher start inflating the figure. The report says he has allowed just two earned runs since April 20, a stretch that helps explain how a pitch that “just” wins matchups on paper can translate into fewer runs when leverage rises.

For Miami, this is the kind of development that can tighten game plans without overhauling personnel. A reliever who can consistently manufacture weak contact or empty plate appearances gives a manager a clearer path to protecting leads, and a clearer reason to stay with the same pitch shape when hitters start to cheat. More broadly, the ranking suggests that the sweeper category, often treated as a stylistic cousin of the slider, is currently producing top-end run prevention when it is thrown with Bender’s specific tilt and usage.

For hitters and scouting departments, the immediate question is adjustment. Once opponents see a sweeper rated as the most valuable pitch in MLB, at-bats typically become more about pitch recognition, timing, and where contact is allowed. The other watch item is durability, since Statcast run value per 100 pitches is sensitive to usage and to how a pitch profiles over a sample. If Bender’s sweeper continues to deliver top-of-league run impact through the middle and late innings of the season, it will likely become a central reference point for how Marlins map out high-leverage outs.