The rest of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting pitching staff might have some work to do to continue developing put-away pitches.
Ivan Nova – 129 SO — 6.3 K/9
Pittsburgh Pirates fans were downright ebullient upon hearing that the club had re-signed Ivan Nova to a very affordable deal. They had every right to be, on the heels of a compelling two months with the club in 2016.
However, lost in all the luster was the fact that Nova has just not been a high-strikeout pitcher at any point in his career. He was able to hide this fact with an unsustainable 0.4 BB/9 while with the Pirates, and this year’s inflated mark of 1.7 has brought this issue to light.
Nevertheless, here is a look at how Nova got to that 129 strikeout figure:
Nova’s pitch type percentages look an awful lot like Taillon’s, but his strikezone map shows a few key differences. Whereas Taillon’s curveballs landed near the zone, Nova’s wild, wild horses run more freely.
And that could get Nova into a whole mess of trouble should hitters decide to lay off even a little bit. Perhaps that can explain the walk rate’s increase, though it is worth noting that Nova only ended up giving up a walk in two-strike counts three times for all of 2017. Maybe that shows that Nova is not so beholden to the curveball on two strikes afterall, and his 58.9 percent usage in strikeouts as a final pitch happened purely organically.
Now seems to be as good a time as any to thrust this piece into the point I’m truly trying to make, and that is this:
The Pittsburgh Pirates can get to more strikeouts by focusing on pitch sequencing.
Excepting Glasnow’s promise, the club simply does not have a Scherzer, a Sale, or even a pitcher like the Indians’ Mike Clevinger (10.1 K/9 across 118 IP) in their pipeline. Many feel that Mitch Keller can grow into that type of profile by the time he hits the majors, myself among them, and Glasnow could theoretically put it all together. Aside from those two names, can you think of another pitcher in the upper levels of the Pirates’ system who can serve as a high-strikeout hurler?
Exactly. So, pitch sequencing will become even more important for the team going forward. If the strikeouts cant’ come as naturally as they do for other clubs, the Pirates can goad teams into making it easier for them.
Pirates Breakdown is going to dive into pitch sequencing quite hard this offseason, so consider its casual mention here a teaser if anything else.
Chad Kuhl – 137 SO — 8.1 K/9
Chad Kuhl — he of the endless bullpen vs starter debate — has done quite well for himself this year by showing glimpses of strong potential amidst a statistically bad season. Here’s how he got his punchouts:
Chad Kuhl’s strikeouts….Chad Kuhl’s strikeouts are all over the place.
You can see from the zone map that his out pitches occupy a variety of spots, with most of his knuckle curves (as identified by Statcast) seem to be elevated. If his slider or sinking fastball lose any bite, he might have to have a more developed curveball at the ready.
Trevor Williams – 111 SO — 6.9 K/9
The most pleasant surprise on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting pitching staff earned that designation in a very pleasant way.
He doesn’t strike out a ton of batters, but that hasn’t hurt his efficiency one bit, as Williams has looked better and better as the season has worn on.
However, if the team does decide to put a renewed emphasis on developing strikeout ability, Williams may find himself on the outside looking in, even if his 2017 season-to-date would otherwise put him on the inside track towards a 2018 rotation spot.
Williams prefers the four-seamer to any other pitch as his go-to strikeout weapon, much like Kuhl and his slider. Much of the same comments made for Kuhl apply to Williams. Williams, however, has an easier path to racking up more punchouts if he can harness his sinker. Overall, hitters tagged the pitch for a .429 BAA, whih is alarming. If Williams can dedicate the offseason to refining that pitch, it can be a wonderful complement to a four-seamer that he already does a good job with in terms of mixing locations and velocities.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have not traditionally been a high-strikeout club.
In order for them to get there, and get there quick, they will need to do everything in their power to coax every single drop of strikeout ability from their current stable of arms.
Photo credit – Daniel Decker Photography
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