Anibal Sanchez, Washington Nationals
March/April Stats: 0-4 record with a 17.8% strikeout rate, 11.8% walk rate, 5.91 ERA, 5.48 SIERA, and 0.2 fWAR in 32 innings
Following a resurgent 2018 with the Atlanta Braves, Anibal Sanchez has gotten off to a rough start in the nation’s capital. The biggest thing that jumps out is a rise in walk rate. If the season ended today, that 11.8% mark would be the veteran’s highest walk rate since 2009 with the Florida Marlins (12.0% in 86 innings).
His cutter has been the main culprit when it comes to a lack of control. That offering has produced a solid 29.7% strikeout rate, but it’s also coming with a 21.6% walk rate. Opposing hitters also have a .320 BABIP, which is a huge increase from the .255 mark Sanchez put together in 2018.
Part of that can be blamed on a drop in ground-ball rate (45.0% in ’18 to 31.4% so far in ’19), with that difference going right to his line-drive rate allowed (18.0% to 29.4%).
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