Chris Devenski faced 13 batters in four innings pitched, struck out seven and walked one on zero hits. Out of 60 pitches he threw 28 changeups and ten fastballs. The changeup was extremely effective inducing 17 swings and nine swings and misses. Effector
In a piece written by Jeff Sullivan this morning over at Fangraphs, it says:
Quietly, in last year’s second half, Devenski was one of the very best pitchers in baseball. That was the case because Devenski possesses one of the very best changeups in baseball, and he can command it like few others.That doesn’t make Devenski a finesse-y type — again, he has a fine heater. The changeup is just that special. And although Devenski might perhaps be of greater use in the rotation, that’s arguable.
He’s elite now as a multi-inning reliever, and he’s working behind a rotation that’s probably better at getting outs than it is at getting deep.Teams dream about having this sort of bridge. Devenski can be unfair for not one inning, but more than that, plus he’s rotation insurance in case something goes awry.
Devenski didn’t draw enough attention as a rookie. That’s almost certainly about to change.
Dylan Bundy saw nice results throwing his drastically underused slider against a lineup filled with right-handed batters
Carlos Santana not only swings hard, but also has a good eye at the plate. Last year he walked 99 and struck out 99 times. That ranks him second to Joey Votto for the most walks in baseball between 2011-16. Santana will see some time playing in the outfield in the upcoming series against Arizona.
The Rockies won three of four against the Brewers even though their one, two and three hitters combined to hit .106 (5-for-47) Charlie Blackmon, D.J. LeMahieu and Carlos Gonzalez
For the first time in his career, Miguel Cabrera is hitless in the first two games of the season. He is 0-for-6.
The Royals bullpen has walked 23 batters in 23 innings pitched, leading to 14 runs in three games. Their offense is not much better as they have only scored five runs.
Tyler Skaggs made his first major league start after missing two seasons to Tommy John surgery, allowing three hits over seven scoreless innings. Skaggs splits last season:
- First two games started = zero earned runs
- Next four games started = 9.68 ERA
- Last four games started =1.83 ERA
Yasiel Puig didn’t see his first home run until May 3, and hit 11 home runs total last season. A major issue with Puig is that his numbers are trending in the wrong direction. His on-base and slugging percentages have fallen in each of his four big league seasons, which tells us that pitchers have been able to figure him out. The harder they throw, the easier it is to strike him out. The reason he was so successful against Jered Weaver yesterday is because Weaver hasn’t thrown 95 mph in five years.
Of the 177 pitches Puig saw that were 94 mph or faster last season:
- 12 were hit in play
- Seven landed for hits
- 97 ended up strikes
Oakland has had to rely on their bullpen more than they wanted to because none of their starters are pitching deep into games. Last night Santiago Casilla came in to pitch the eighth, and after he walked one batter, he was replaced by Sean Doolittle.
This is relevant to Fantasy owners as it is important to keep in mind how many closer capable pitchers Oakland has in the pen. First we thought it would be Ryan Madson, then we thought it would be Santiago Casilla and now we know it could also be Doolittle.
This is another example of a team making use of the Effector, while wreaking havoc to Fantasy Baseballers everywhere. Hopefully the industry will come up with a way to utilize the effector better, but until then..I will stay far away…
Here is another great article written by Michael Baumann about the use of the effector in baseball, titled ‘Welcome (Maybe) to the Next Phase of Baseball’s New-Look Reliever Age‘. Check it out.
Lance Lynn in 2015, his last full season before Tommy John surgery:
- Left-handed batters hit .272 with an .809 OPS
- Right-handed batters hit .247 with a .623 OPS
Only Bartolo Colon threw a higher percentage of fastballs in 2015 than Lynn did. Four out of every five pitches he threw were fastballs. That is 80% fastballs. As you can see in the diagram below, Lynn incorporated his slider as well as his changeup more than ever before. His velocity is also up on all three pitch types.
I hope you drafted Lynn. You know I did.
Roberto Osuna, who is currently on the 10-day disabled list with a sore neck, was out in left field throwing his changeup and his curveball. He should be back in time for the home opener this Tuesday.
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