Archer threw about 29% sliders last year and 33% in 2013, but is at a whopping 39% this season.

The difference for Chris Archer? Throw the slider even more! Clearly, he’s not concerned about blowing out his elbow. But, he looks like a good bet to maintain a 20%+ strikeout rate all year…finally. Since I’m not sure that big jump in slider SwStk% is sustainable and the 10% mark from his two-seam fastball certainly isn’t, this S/Stk rate is almost certainly going to decline. Once his line drive rate gets back to normal, that might take away grounders. But the tradeoff is a higher fly ball rate. he has also gotten back to his 2013 mix of four-seam vs two-seam fastballs, and the four-seam generates more swinging strikes than does the two-seamer. It’s all in that slider, as its SwStk% has jumped above 20%. Obviously after turning from my favorite person in the world to thinking he is overvalued, Andrew Cashner is finally striking out batters at a rate we all expected from him two seasons ago. So although I think his current S/Stk mark is going to decline, the addition of the curve to neutralize lefties could very well result in that breakout year. But, it’s doubtful that his sinker is going to sustain a 9% SwStk%, as the league average is around 5.4%. He has added a curve this year and it’s been pretty darn good, while his slider has been fantastic as well. Jimmy Nelson was a popular preseason sleeper, though the concern was he was just a two-pitch pitcher, featuring the fastball and slider. If his luck ever neutralizes, he could quickly become one of the best pitchers in the American League. 333 career BABIP, though I’m sure the poor Indians defense also has something to do with that. But somehow despite his outwardly awesome stuff, his career line drive rate is well inflated at 24.9%. Hitters may now choose to simply quit before even entering the batter’s box. Salazar already has a great fastball, a ridiculous changeup and respectable slider. Oops, I think I’m going to be wrong.ĭanny Salazar is now throwing a curve ball. But certainly not to a mark above 30%! I was rather bearish on him this year. We knew that all else being equal, he would enjoy a strikeout rate spike upon his move to the National League. So, literally every single pitch of his has been significantly better. So what’s behind the surge? His four-seam and two-seam fastballs, along with his cutter have all seen their SwStk% marks double from last season, his signature changeup has induced even more whiffs than he already had and his curve has also induced more swings and misses. But his pitch mix is generally in line with previous seasons. His velocity is relatively stable and he’s throwing his curve slightly more at the expense of his cutter. The top dogs are typically in the low-20% range.

Pitch out swing and miss