Jose A. Ferrer recorded two consecutive scoreless ninth innings to secure a Nationals series win and now has four saves and 9 1/3 consecutive scoreless frames. The Nationals bullpen has been historically poor and has lost key contributors, but Ferrer has emerged as a bright spot. Across 63 innings this season he has a 4.29 ERA and 54 strikeouts, numbers that appear only marginally better than other relievers. Ferrer has a 2.03 ERA since the All-Star break after a 5.03 first half, and changes in his release angles — moving to a closer, more consistent arm slot — correlate with improved results.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Jose A. Ferrer tossed two consecutive scoreless ninth innings to secure the Nationals' series win over the Mets. The new Nats closer now has four saves on the season and has pitched nine and one third consecutive scoreless innings. For a relief unit that has been historically bad throughout the year and has lost a number of key contributors, Ferrer is a bright spot.
Ferrer's statistics do not stand out on a Baseball Reference page. In 63 innings pitched this season, he has a 4.29 ERA and only 54 strikeouts. His production seems to be only marginally better than his colleagues in the dismal Nationals bullpen. But Ferrer is a complicated pitcher. His recent performance and enigmatic pitching style suggest he has the potential to be an elite reliever.
In the second half of the season, Ferrer has already demonstrated that he is a dominant pitcher. The Dominican left-hander has a 2.03 ERA since the All-Star break after posting a 5.03 ERA in the first half of the season. Even though is a small sample size, Ferrer has shown flashes of All-Star-level production. Based on data on Baseball Savant, I have noticed that Ferrer has made changes throughout the season, correlating with his improved success.
At the beginning of the season, Ferrer released his sinker at an average arm angle of 32 degrees, while his arm angle on his slider and changeup was around 27 and 29 degrees, respectively. Major League hitters can pick up on this slight disparity, helping them potentially identify which pitches Ferrer is throwing. Ferrer, though, has released his pitches from a closer and more consistent arm angle as the season has progressed.
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