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The last twenty comments in true blog fasion, with the links to their authors and the player commented upon.
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Pitcher No. 21 in $5x5 (both leagues).
2018 Statcast Averages
NP:
Pitch Type: Four-seam FB
Avg Pitch Speed:
Avg Spin Rate:
Avg Exit Velocity:
Pitcher No. 37 in $5x5 (both leagues).
2018 Statcast Averages
NP: 548
Pitch Type: Four-seam FB
Avg Pitch Speed: 93.8
Avg Spin Rate: 2,210
Avg Exit Velocity: 84.5
The average exit velo confirms the G/L/F data: hard to square up against, even with an average fastball and below-average spin rate. FIP 1.89. ERC 0.69. WAR 2.5. Fought for fiercely in the XFL draft in November.
Pitcher No. 26 in $5x5 (both leagues).
2018 Statcast Averages
NP: 372
Pitch Type: Knuckle Curve
Avg Pitch Speed: 81.2
Avg Spin Rate: 2,464
Avg Exit Velocity: 88.3
First pitcher on the list (of pitchers ranked by $5x5) whose primary pitch was not a four-seam fastball. A close to average knuckle curve at that, going by Statcast (MLB averages -- 80.9, 2,488, 88.4).
Jeffress is only the fourth relief pitcher on the list (behind Treinen, Diaz and Kimbrel), although he of course ranks much higher in 4x4.
The XFL, drafting for 2019 in November at First Pitch Arizona, plays 5x5.
Fifteen teams, nine pitchers.
Jeffress wasn't even taken.
Other notable free agents when it was all over: Brad Boxberger, Bud Norris, Shane Greene, Sergio Romo and (of course) Fernando Rodney.
Signed a one-year deal on Nov. 30 for $2.65 million. Will be a free agent next year.
FIP and SIERA -- not to mention K/9, K/W, BABIP and G/L/F -- say he had amazingly bad luck last season.
SIERA pays some attention to BABIP, hence is lower than FIP. But both metrics say his ERA was lucky. Billy Beane must have agreed; Fiers was non-tendered in November.
Pitcher No. 33 in $5x5 (both leagues).
2018 Statcast Averages
NP: 783
Pitch Type: Four-seam FB
Avg Pitch Speed: 98.0
Avg Spin Rate: 2,554
Avg Exit Velocity: 89.2
Now there's a fastball.
Pitcher No. 35 in $5x5 (both leagues).
2018 Statcast Averages
NP: 1017
Pitch Type: Four-seam FB
Avg Pitch Speed: 93.4
Avg Spin Rate: 2,213
Avg Exit Velocity: 87.2
Won only three on the road (4.85 ERA) and three after the break (4.15 ERA). Joined the 200 K club by striking out nine in seven innings in his last start. More important (to him, I'm sure), he won the game to finish with a winning record.
Pitcher No. 38 in $5x5 (both leagues).
2018 Statcast Averages
NP: 606
Pitch Type: Four-seam FB
Avg Pitch Speed: 98.7
Avg Spin Rate: 2,494
Avg Exit Velocity: 88.8
The spin rate is impressive as well (MLB average: 2,263).
Pitcher No. 39 in $5x5 (both leagues).
2018 Statcast Averages
NP: 1378
Pitch Type: Four-seam FB
Avg Pitch Speed: 91.1
Avg Spin Rate: 2,172
Avg Exit Velocity: 86.7
Below-average velocity, below-average spin rate, below-average exit velocity.
It's the result that counts.
Hitter No. 35 in $5x5 (both leagues).
2018 Statcast averages
HIP: 493
Avg Exit Velocity: 90.1
Avg HR Distance: 404
Avg Launch Angle: 14.8
Put the ball in play 61 times on an 0-2 pitch and had 14 hits. Struck out, either swinging or looking, 19 times.
May not sound great, but I'm sure very few batters did as well. Maybe no one.
With the count full (71 times) he managed only six hits: four singles and two doubles.
So he was a wuss on the most critical count in baseball, right?
Yes, but an effective wuss. He shortened his swing and struck out 11 times. How many were backward K's? Can't say but it was more than a few: he drew ball four 25 times.
His slash stats on the 3-2 pitch: .133/.433/.178.
My kind of batter.
Fifth highest earner, both leagues, in 5x5.
2018 Statcast Averages
NP: 1165
Pitch Type: Four-seam FB
Avg Pitch Speed: 92.8
Avg Spin Rate: 2,117
Avg Exit Velocity: 87.1
First pitcher -- by earnings last year -- who's fastball velocity is below theMLB average (93.2).
Hitter No. 41 in $5x5 (both leagues).
2018 Statcast averages
HIP: 504
Avg Exit Velocity: 84.8
Avg HR Distance: 380
Avg Launch Angle: 10.8
Hit .302 Post All-Star but stopped running (5 SB).
16th most valuable pitcher, both leagues, in 5x5.
2018 Statcast Averages
NP: 901
Pitch Type: Four-seam FB
Avg Pitch Speed: 93.7
Avg Spin Rate: 2,353
Avg Exit Velocity: 89.7
Slightly faster than average fastball (93.7), slightly faster than average exit velocity (88.4). Spin rate well above average (2,263).
Pitcher No. 28 in $5x5 (both leagues).
2018 Statcast Averages
NP: 1239
Pitch Type: Four-seam FB
Avg Pitch Speed: 95.8
Avg Spin Rate: 2,309
Avg Exit Velocity: 86.1
He threw a lot of fastballs and it's obvious why: it went toward the batter very fast and went the other way, when it did, considerably slower.
To kick things off, key metrics have been culled from Fangraphs for all pitchers with 20+ IP. It helps to know the averages of the 530 pitchers who had 20 or more IP.
WAR avg = 0.8
ERA avg = 4.23
FIP avg = 4.20
SIERA avg = 4.03
FB avg = 56%
FBv avg = 92.8
HR/FB avg = 13%
Hard contact = 35%
CC relied on an assortment of pitches besides his below-average fastball last year and managed to limit the hard contact. Even so, both FIP and SIERA (Skills-Interactive ERA: formula upon request at Fangraphs) suggest his ERA was at least somewhat lucky.
We have archived the 2018 comments and are starting on 2019 two weeks early. For all hitters with 100+ AB last year I've pulled some key metrics from Fangraphs to kick things off.
First is the Fangraphs WAR, then the components that go into expressed as runs above replacement. We get a quick snapshot of the kind of player Chapman was in 2018. Then three different metrics to show the kind of hitter he was.
The average HR/FB for hitters who had at least 100 AB was 12%; Chapman was well above average.
The average Pull % was 41; Chapman was exactly average.
The average Hard-hit % was 35; Chapman was well above average.
Is there a correlation between Hard % and BABIP? You would think there would be. It's possible his high BABIP (the average for the 448 hitters with 100+ AB was .295) wasn't lucky.
What was Chapman's Soft % last year? For that you click on the link to Fangraphs. As I say, this is just a quick snapshot to help start discussions.
Click on the name of a player (or thread) to go directly to that page and see the comment in context with the other comments.
Lots of fastballs, few of them hard hit.