It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for us to visit the bump on Hump Day and discuss starting pitcher news. Each week in this article, I’ll be taking a deeper look at a few trending/surging starting pitchers to see what, if anything, is changing and whether or not we should be investing in this hot stretch.
The article will be similar to the series I ran for a few years called Mixing It Up (previously Pitchers With New Pitches and Should We Care?), where I broke down new pitches to see if there were truly meaningful additions that changed a pitcher’s outlook. Only now, I won’t just look at new pitches, I can also cover velocity bumps, new usage patterns, or new roles. However, the premise will remain the same: trying to see if the recent results are connected to any meaningful changes that make them worth buying into or if they’re just mirages.
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Each week, I’ll try to cover change for at least four starters and give my clear take on whether I would add them, trade for them, or invest fully in their success. Hopefully you’ll find it useful, so let’s get started.
Most of the charts you see below are courtesy of Kyle Bland over at Pitcher List. He created a great spring training app (which he’s now carried over into the regular season) that tracks changes in velocity, usage, and pitch movement. It also has a great strike zone plot feature, which allows you to see how the whole arsenal plays together. I’ll also use Alex Chamberlain’s awesome work with his Pitch Leaderboard.
MLB: New York Yankees at Cleveland Guardians
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There’s a new No. 1 in Judge, and Roman Anthony makes his Top 300 debut.
Nick Lodolo – Cincinnati Reds (Pitch Mix Change, Arm Angle Change, New Slider Shape)
After years of injuries and inconsistencies, are we finally getting the Nick Lodolo that we anticipated back when he was a prospect? Lodolo carved up the minor leagues, with a 2.70 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 96.2 minor league innings, where he also struck out 149 batters and walked just 22. Yes, a 149:22 K:BB ratio. Yet, due to multiple injuries and some confounding trouble with command, Lodolo has a 4.24 career MLB ERA in 289 innings with 91 walks to 326 strikeouts.
This season, however, he has come out like a house on fire, registering a 2.25 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 26:4 K:BB ratio in 36 innings through six starts. So, how has he done it?
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For starters,…