#pitching-metrics

#pitching-metrics

This past season though, he quickly declined. One potential explanation was his sharp decrease in velocity. According to Pitch Profiler, his average fastball velocity was 93.9 miles per hour. This year, it dropped to 92.4. Correspondingly, his strikeout rate dropped from 20.3 percent to 15.8 percent. With less velocity on his fastball, Irvin's stuff led to contact and did not get Major League hitters out with success.

The first half of the season he spent with the High-A Rome Emperors where he appeared in 26 games and had a spectacular 1.75 ERA, and 2.25 FIP. He limited walks quite well, with a walk rate that sat at 2.50 per 9, and struck out a rotund 10 batters per 9. If you were not able to get on base via walk, you were not going to find much success with the bat as he allowed just a .182 batting average against

On the surface, Valdez looks deserving of the large term and dollar amount he's likely to receive in free agency. The two-time All-Star ranks sixth among all starting pitchers in fWAR (20.6), fifth in innings pitched (973), tied for first in wins, and 10th in total strikeouts (951) since the start of the 2020 season as a member of the Houston Astros.

It took a little bit for Bello to get going after a brief IL stint to open the season, but from mid-June though August, he was on a roll. Funny how so many things got better in the middle of June. I wonder what changed? Anyway, over a span of 14 starts Bello had an ERA/FIP split of 2.42/3.80 for 89 innings.

Manager Terry Francona is the latest member of Cincinnati's organization to downplay the possibility of trading starting pitching. Francona said on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast that he wasn't anticipating a Hunter Greene trade. " I don't think those things are gonna (happen)...pitching is too hard for us to acquire through free agency...we gotta keep Hunter on the mound," Francona said in a clip relayed by Chatterbox Sports.

Scherzer was asked about his future and, while he avoided specifics, made clear that he's not yet ready to call it quits. "The only thing I can say is," Scherzer told reporters, as relayed Jesse Rogers of ESPN in the aftermath of last night's game, "it's going to take some time to give a full answer to that, but there is no way that was my last pitch."

Glasnow's last start was Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched 5 and 2/3 innings, giving up only one run on three hits, and striking out eight hitters. The California product has rested since his start on October 16th and is coming out fresh to get his start at Dodger Stadium. The Blue Jays have gotten their fair look at Glasnow over the years, as he was a part of the American League East under the Tampa Bay Rays banner before being dealt to the West Coast.

Coming into the year, Didier Fuentes was mostly on potential breakout prospect lists, appearing near the back of a top ten or two, but he wasn't terribly well-known nationally. By the end of the year, he had made it through three minor league levels and made his major league debut. Those four big league appearances ... didn't go very well. But did I tell you that he just turned 20 in June?

A Macon, GA native, Cox was a fifth round draft choice in 2018 by the Kansas City Royals out of Mercer University. He made his major league debut with the Royals in 2023 and after bouncing around in the minor league system for a couple of years, Cox signed with Atlanta on May 5, a day after the Royals let him go.

"I think I do, just to be frank and to be honest. I definitely think I do. Whether I do decide that I want to go somewhere - whether that actually happens - I don't have complete control of that. Obviously, I have control of where I can't go or don't go. I'm going to be 36. It's going to be my 14th season. Last year of my contract for this. I don't know what the future holds for me."

An excellent 5.5% walk rate is Sugano's biggest calling card, but his other metrics have been much shakier. Both Sugano's strikeout rate (15.6%) and barrel rate (11.4%) rank only in the seventh percentile of all pitchers, and only seven pitchers have surrendered more home runs than Sugano's 28 big flies. There's still time for Sugano to improve on these numbers, though keeping the ball in the park will be tricky since his last two starts are scheduled to come against the powerful Yankees.

His numbers on the season look good until you check under the hood. He has thrown 29 innings with a 2.48 earned run average. However, his 17.5% strikeout rate and 12.5% walk rate are both subpar figures. His 51.3% ground ball rate is pretty good but he has largely benefitted from a .197 batting average on balls in play and 89.5% strand rate.

The Mariners have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Guillo Zuñiga, per the team's transaction log at MLB.com. The former Cardinals and Angels reliever had been with the Phillies on a minor league deal but was granted his release earlier in the week. Zuñiga, 26, has pitched in the majors in each of the past two seasons, totaling 19 2/3 frames between St. Louis and Anaheim. He's allowed 11 earned runs (5.03 ERA) on 16 hits and eight walks with a dozen strikeouts.

Trevor Williams has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right elbow sprain, and Ryan Loutos has been recalled to replace him.

Tyler Alexander, designated for assignment by the Brewers, has opted for free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A.