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The starting pitcher market may not be star-filled at this point, but there are still some good options for filling the rotation. Former top contender and current journeyman Michael Wacha.
Wacha is having its best fWAR season since 2017 (3.1 in 2017). He finished the 2022 campaign with his fWAR of 1.5, and in that rotation the Boston Reds had the Sox as his No. 3 or No. 4 starter. Starting with the basic numbers, Washa had an ERA of 3.32, K/9 7.35, BB/9 2.19, and HR/9 1.27. These are pretty solid as his third or fourth starter in most MLB rotations. Let’s take a closer look at why Japanese tea was successful in 2022.
Two of Wacha’s standout stats are his LOB% and BABIP. Wacha ran aground more runners than his average of 80.3% and had a very low BABIP of .260. In addition to this, Washa was also able to produce his 41.0% ground ball, which he has struggled with in the last two seasons. But the biggest improvement comes in the type of contact he gave up last year.
One of the big problems Washa had in the 2020 and 2021 seasons was the hard hit rate of over 43%. However, in 2022, Washa’s slugging percentage has fallen to 35.4%, 0.4 points below the league average. These numbers are good, but some of the expected numbers tell a different story.
Wacha had a 3.32 ERA, but his expected ERA, FIP, and BABIP point to a bit of luck in 2022. He has an expected ERA of 4.56 and a FIP of 4.14, matching his BABIP .260. Wacha has been lucky and looks like he’s been playing good defense so this could be a cause for concern, but the Royals will probably still play well this year so it won’t be a particularly big concern. not.
One of Washa’s biggest concerns is his pitch repertoire. According to Run Values, Wacha’s 4-seam fastball had a Run value of 9 and had some issues. He hit a lot (.287 average) and slugged for a .537 clip. His Run His Value One of the positives that stands out from his charts is that he’s reduced his use of four seams every season since 2019.
Maintaining run value, there are two good pitches for Japanese tea: changeup and cutter. Run values ​​for each are -9 for changeup and -6 for cutter. Neither hit at a good rate (both below .230), nor did they slug (both below .400).
Another plus to come out of Washa’s 2022 season is that he did really well through September and October. Please give me. At one point, Washa’s ERA was his 2.52, but at the end of the year he collapsed with a 5.57 ERA.
In 2022 stats, Michael Wacha is a younger and better version of Jordan Lyles (minus the Inning Eater trait). for that reason, spot rack Japanese tea has a market value of $11.9 million, higher than Lyles’. If the Royals need another starting pitcher for a few seasons, offering Wasa his two- or three-year contract worth $12 million a year with an opt-out could be a good move for them. prize.
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