Zack Godley, Arizona Diamondbacks
For the second straight season, Zack Godley has been a significant contributor to the Diamondbacks’ playoff hopes. While his 14 wins are a single-season career high, he hasn’t been nearly as dominant as he was in 2017. It’s hard to say that a year in which he’s accumulated 2.9 fWAR is a step back, but that gets a bit easier when it’s accompanied by a 4.67 ERA and 38.2% hard-hit rate allowed.
The right-hander’s curveball continues to be a huge part of his arsenal — his usage of that pitch has increased in each of the last four seasons and is currently sitting at 40.6%. Despite his success with it, Godley’s ERA has actually gotten worse between the first half (4.61) to second half (4.78). His SIERA has dropped by a full run (4.42 to 3.42), though.
Some of this improvement can be seen in his strikeout and walk rates. Before the midsummer classic, Godley owned a 22.8% strikeout rate and 11.2% walk rate, but those numbers have improved to 26.8% and 6.9%, respectively, since the middle of July. So while the overall numbers haven’t gotten better, Godley’s peripherals provide some hope.
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