Mariano Rivera's cut fastball is one of baseball's most devastating pitches.

Testimonial: If he adds a good changeup, he’s going to be unhittable. -Nate Robertson

9. Fausto Carmona, sinker
Some call it a 2-seam fastball, but no 2-seamer bites that hard, so we'll call it a sinker. He might be higher on this list, but he just burst onto the scene this year. If you watched him down the stretch you know how devastating this pitch really is. When you hear veteran announcers say things like, "I've never seen a 96 mph pitch move that much", you know you're watching something special. In only 4 of his 32 starts did he fail to get at least 10 groundball outs. It's so difficult to make solid contact on Carmona's sinker; everyone just beats it into the ground. He led major league baseball by inducing 32 double plays with this pitch.

Testimonial: It was scary. I thought I was hung over. - Torii  Hunter

8. Josh Beckett, curveball
Beckett showed us all in this year's playoffs why he is one of the best pitchers in the game, and much of this had to do with his big Texas curveball. His ability to paint the black with his fastball only enhanced the effectiveness of the curve. He made hitter after hitter look silly with his hook, as he struck out 35 batters in 30 innings with just 390 pitches over four starts.  Incredible.

Testimonial: He consistently threw his fastball in the upper 90s, his changeup in the high 80s and his curveball in the upper 70s. The pitch that was most impressive was his curveball. Simply put, it was an unbelievable pitch. - Peter Gammons

7. Francisco Rodriguez, slider
It doesn't hurt that K-Rod sets up his nasty slider by throwing 98 mph gas out of an unorthodox delivery. Some say Rodriguez's slider is so predictable that most hitters know when it's coming, but that doesn't seem to matter. Ever since he burst onto the scene late in 2002 as a raw 20-year-old he's been absolutely dominating. His career numbers include: ERA of 2.37; BAA of .185; and a ridiculous K/9 of 11.97. Yeah, this slider is good.

Testimonial: He throws that Bugs Bunny pitch that goes, stops in front of the plate, and goes again. -Troy Percival

6. Felix Hernandez, curveball
You know a pitcher has some incredible stuff when his 97 mph fastball is his third best pitch. Like Carmona, he could be moved up on this list based on potential alone. The curveball of the 21-year-old King Felix will continue to baffle hitters for years to come.

Testimonial: As a hitter, there's not much you can do about that when he's out there pumping 96 to 98 with that big, 12-to-6 curve. I had heard about his reputation. He came in and backed it up today.  -David Wright

5. Ben Sheets, curveball
Depending on how he grips his breaking ball, this could be called a slurve or power slider. In any case, the breaking ball of Ben Sheets is filthy by any name. After the hitters see 95 mph fastballs pumping by them they're hit with an 83 mph knee-breaker that almost seems to freeze them in the batter's box. If Sheets were to stay healthy for an entire season you could build a pitching highlight reel on his strikeouts alone.

Testimonial: I've seen some pretty good outings, but that's definitely got to be the most impressive. He was just power all day, using his fastball, curveball, just mixing pitches. It seemed like he didn't throw a ball all day." - Geoff Jenkins

4. Brandon Webb, sinker
Like Carmona, Webb is a top sinkerballer in today's game. Though Webb's sinker doesn't have the velocity of Carmona's it has far more bite. The more he throws it the more it sinks, and the more silly hitters look. They know the sinker is coming, and they still kill every worm in the infield on Chase Field. It seems nobody can get on top of this pitch. His sinker has allowed the 2006 Cy Young winner to lead the majors in innings this year, as he faced a MLB-high 975 batters.

Testimonial: His sinker is the best in baseball, period. It's so good, he could probably get by an entire game just throwing that pitch. It's that good. - Mike Matheny

3. Trevor Hoffman, changeup
Hoffman's changeup has clearly stood the test of time. He actually uses this pitch to set up his fastball, quite opposite of most every pitcher. I've already seen him throw it 5 times in a row. That's when you know a pitch is good. Hoffman could probably tell the hitter the change was coming and he still couldn't hit it square. Though he's not considered a strikeout pitcher anymore, Hoffman was able to transform his repetoire over his 15-year career on his way to being the all-time saves leader.

Testimonial: I've run out of things to say about him. It's amazing. He's been a model of consistency. In my mind, really in anybody's mind, this guy's going to the Hall of Fame. - Bruce Bochy

2. Johan Santana, changeup
Santana's changeup is on par with Hoffman's, but what sets this pitch apart from every other changeup in the majors is Santana's ability to throw it as a counter to his fastball. There's not a hitter Santana's faced that hasn't looked off-balance at least once in their career. Hitters almost have to look for the changeup after the fastball, and if they don't guess right on the changeup they're simply not going to hit it. Santana gets as many swings and misses as any pitcher in baseball, and this pitch is the main reason why he has struck out almost 1000 batters over the past four seasons.

Testimonial: He's a power pitcher...he's got a parachute changeup...he's definitely the best lefty in the league. - Mike Sweeney

1. Mariano Rivera, Cut Fastball
Rivera may as well have a patent on this pitch because he's the reason so many young pitchers are learning it the past few years. Rivera's cutter has been the best out pitch in baseball for the past decade, and there isn't much of an argument against it. If there was a stat called "Broken Bats" I'm sure Mo would lead all relievers in the category every year. You see lefties put good swings on it, but then snap! - the bat splinters all over the infield. Simply put, no one touches this pitch. He has etched his name in Yankee lore and entrenched himself as a first-ballot Hall of Famer based solely on this one pitch.

Testimonial: When he throws it, you think it’s straight, and the next thing you know, it’s on your thumbs. - Tony Womack