Last year, these pitchers threw the largest percentage of pitchers in the strike zone:
Pitcher Zone% W-L ERA WHIP
1. Bartolo Colon 58.5% 18-6 2.65 1.17
2. Cliff Lee 56.9% 14-8 2.87 1.01
3. Bronson Arroyo 56.1% 14-12 3.79 1.15
4. Jordan Zimmermann 55.0% 19-9 3.25 1.09
5. Jose Fernandez 55.0% 12-6 2.19 0.98
6. David Price 54.0% 10-8 3.33 1.10
7. Julio Teheran 53.2% 14-8 3.20 1.17
8. R.A. Dickey 53.1% 14-13 4.21 1.24
9. Shelby Miller 53.1% 15-9 3.06 1.21
10. Travis Wood 53.0% 9-12 3.11 1.15
Data from FanGraphs. Zone% = percentage of pitches in the strike zone.
And these pitchers got batters to swing at the largest percentage of pitches outside the strike zone:
Pitcher O-Swing% W-L ERA WHIP
1. Hisashi Iwakuma 36.5% 14-6 2.66 1.01
2. Cole Hamels 36.5% 8-14 3.60 1.16
3. Patric Corbin 35.3% 14-8 3.41 1.17
4. Adam Wainwright 34.5% 19-9 2.94 1.07
5. Homer Bailey 34.1% 11-12 3.49 1.12
6. Andy Pettitte 34.1% 11-11 3.74 1.33
7. John Lackey 33.8% 10-13 3.52 1.16
8. Felix Hernandez 33.6% 12-10 3.04 1.13
9. Dillon Gee 33.4% 12-11 3.62 1.28
10. Jordan Zimmermann 33.2% 19-9 3.25 1.09
Data from FanGraphs. O-Swing% = percentage of pitches outside the strike zone at which batters swung.
For a frame of reference, the average ERA last year was 3.87 and the average WHIP was 1.30. In case you were wondering, NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw was 35th in Zone% and 13th in O-Swing%. AL winner Max Scherzer was 16th in Zone% and 48th in O-Swing%.
Obviously, these aren't perfect measures, but they're not bad. The pitchers listed above are all really good. How about this year?
Pitcher Zone% W-L ERA WHIP
1. Bartolo Colon 58.5% 2-5 5.36 1.37
2. Phil Hughes 56.9% 4-1 3.92 1.28
3. Zach McAllister 56.1% 3-3 3.89 1.30
4. Nathan Eovaldi 55.0% 2-1 2.86 1.11
5. Robbie Ross 55.0% 1-4 5.04 1.52
6. Alfredo Simon 54.0% 4-2 2.89 1.08
7. Henderson Alvarez 53.2% 2-3 3.33 1.40
8. Jordan Zimmermann 53.1% 2-1 2.92 1.32
9. Cliff Lee 53.1% 3-3 3.64 1.29
10. Jesse Chavez 53.0% 2-1 2.47 1.03
Data from FanGraphs. Zone% = percentage of pitches in the strike zone.
Pitcher O-Swing% W-L ERA WHIP
1. Masahiro Tanaka 40.0% 5-0 2.57 1.00
2. Felix Hernandez 38.0% 3-1 2.73 1.10
3. Phil Hughes 37.0% 4-1 3.92 1.28
4. Jose Fernandez 36.7% 4-2 2.44 0.95
5. John Lackey 36.4% 5-2 3.57 1.21
6. Tim Hudson 36.3% 4-2 2.09 0.81
7. Francisco Liriano 35.4% 0-3 4.64 1.45
8. Stephen Strasburg 35.3% 3-2 3.42 1.35
9. Roberto Hernandez 35.2% 2-1 4.08 1.46
10. Dallas Keuchel 34.8% 3-2 3.68 1.18
1. Bartolo Colon 58.5% 2-5 5.36 1.37
2. Phil Hughes 56.9% 4-1 3.92 1.28
3. Zach McAllister 56.1% 3-3 3.89 1.30
4. Nathan Eovaldi 55.0% 2-1 2.86 1.11
5. Robbie Ross 55.0% 1-4 5.04 1.52
6. Alfredo Simon 54.0% 4-2 2.89 1.08
7. Henderson Alvarez 53.2% 2-3 3.33 1.40
8. Jordan Zimmermann 53.1% 2-1 2.92 1.32
9. Cliff Lee 53.1% 3-3 3.64 1.29
10. Jesse Chavez 53.0% 2-1 2.47 1.03
Data from FanGraphs. Zone% = percentage of pitches in the strike zone.
Pitcher O-Swing% W-L ERA WHIP
1. Masahiro Tanaka 40.0% 5-0 2.57 1.00
2. Felix Hernandez 38.0% 3-1 2.73 1.10
3. Phil Hughes 37.0% 4-1 3.92 1.28
4. Jose Fernandez 36.7% 4-2 2.44 0.95
5. John Lackey 36.4% 5-2 3.57 1.21
6. Tim Hudson 36.3% 4-2 2.09 0.81
7. Francisco Liriano 35.4% 0-3 4.64 1.45
8. Stephen Strasburg 35.3% 3-2 3.42 1.35
9. Roberto Hernandez 35.2% 2-1 4.08 1.46
10. Dallas Keuchel 34.8% 3-2 3.68 1.18
Data from FanGraphs. O-Swing% = percentage of pitches outside the strike zone at which batters swung.
There are two ways you could look at this year's leaders. With the obvious caveat that we're not a fourth of the way through the season, so this isn't a large sample, you could look at that list and see some misfires. (All data are through Sunday, by the way.) I mean, Colon and Ross have been legitimately bad, and Liriano and Hernandez have been...how would you put it...not very good? So has the throwing strikes is good, gettng strikes is better rule broken?
Or is there a better explanation - that maybe Colon et al have pitched better than their record might indicate, and they could be positioned to perform better, and that the perhaps surprising performance of Hughes and Alvarez and Keuchel might be sustainable?
I'm guessing that's the case, but we'll check in later in the season for an update.
There are two ways you could look at this year's leaders. With the obvious caveat that we're not a fourth of the way through the season, so this isn't a large sample, you could look at that list and see some misfires. (All data are through Sunday, by the way.) I mean, Colon and Ross have been legitimately bad, and Liriano and Hernandez have been...how would you put it...not very good? So has the throwing strikes is good, gettng strikes is better rule broken?
Or is there a better explanation - that maybe Colon et al have pitched better than their record might indicate, and they could be positioned to perform better, and that the perhaps surprising performance of Hughes and Alvarez and Keuchel might be sustainable?
I'm guessing that's the case, but we'll check in later in the season for an update.
No comments:
Post a Comment