"His fastball in particular was excellent. It has solid vertical movement and great velocity with big extension. In 2025, the swinging strike rate was among the best in the league at 15.6%, while the ideal contact rate was a great 31.3%. His cutter was a reliable strike-getter and also limited hard contact."
"Slaten struggled to put lefties away in 2025 due to leaving his curveball in the zone with two strikes too frequently, but better command should see the pitch return strikeouts. His sweeper was useful in putting away righties and should continue to be a weapon for him."
"The issue for Slaten was getting out of trouble. His left-on-base rate of 55% was remarkably low and should rise to a normal rate over a full season. His 2024 rate was 71%, and there's little reason to believe it shouldn't normalize given his stuff."
Justin Slaten, a Red Sox middle reliever, experienced a disappointing 2025 season with a 4.24 ERA, posting an 18.2% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate—a significant decline from his rookie year. However, his underlying stuff remained strong, particularly his fastball with excellent vertical movement and velocity. His swinging strike rate of 15.6% ranked among the league's best, and his ideal contact rate was solid at 31.3%. Slaten struggled with command against left-handed batters and had an unusually low left-on-base rate of 55%, which should normalize. With improved command and better fortune, Slaten is expected to handle high-leverage situations regularly for the Red Sox bullpen alongside top relievers Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock.
Read at Over the Monster
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