Matthew Boyd, Detroit Tigers
2018 fWAR: 2.1
2019 fWAR (so far): 2.5
There isn’t a ton of good stuff going on for the Tigers in 2019 as they continue their long rebuilding process. The emergence of Boyd in the rotation certainly helps, though.
One of the most notable improvements can be seen in his strikeout and walk rates. After posting an 18.2% strikeout rate and 8.8% walk rate in 2017 for Detroit, both of those numbers have improved each year since. He’s currently on track to crush previous career-high marks in strikeouts (29.9% rate) and walks (5.1% rate) allowed.
What also stands out is Boyd’s ability to limit home runs. Heading into 2019, he never finished a year with a homers allowed per nine innings rate below 1.20, but it’s currently at 0.87. The performance of his slider has certainly helped in this area. Opposing hitters posted a 33.3% strikeout rate, 5.9% walk rate, and 52 wRC+ against it last year, and while this year’s wRC+ is up at 56, the strikeout rate (40.2%) and walk rate (1.9%) have improved dramatically.
He’s throwing this offering at a 35.5% clip, which is among the top 10 in baseball when looking at qualified starting pitchers.
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