Last year Lopez seemed to be making strides with every start. With an increase in RPM’s and velocity his changeup is inducing a lot more whiffs taking a massive jump in SwStr% from 17.2% in 2019 to 25.5% in 2020. It has now surpassed his four-seam fastball and has become the most thrown pitch in his repertoire. The main development behind Lopez’s recent success is his increase in changeup usage. Glancing at Lopez’s 14.7 SwStr% and his 26.1% strikeout rate it looks like Lopez might see more strikeouts in his future. Pablo Lopez – Of course we have to talk about one of the most surprising names on this list. Take that tangible change and pair it with a 14.7 SwStr% and 25.8 K-BB% and it’s no wonder he holds a 1.89 ERA with a 2.99 FIP. His four-seam is up 1.5 MPH and his vertical movement on the pitch is up 1.2 inches. This year is a completely different story though.

The main difference in Lamet’s arsenal is his four-seam fastball. His slider is insanely good and he is throwing it more than ever. The worry with Lamet coming into 2020 was that he basically had one pitch. If you don’t own him look to buy low if possible.ĭinelson Lamet – Dinelson Lamet seems to defy all odds with the way he is pitching. None of those are on par with his career numbers and insinuate that he has had a run of bad luck. Keep holding on though, as his 4.44 ERA comes with a 2.05 FIP. He certainly has been underwhelming so far this season. If Castillo’s fastball keeps performing this way, expect a career-high in K% and SwStr%. In 2019 he average 96.5 MPH and so far this year he is averaging 97.6 MPH.

The reason behind this seems to be his velocity. Here is the crazy thing, so far this year Castillo’s four-seam fastball has a 16.4 SwStr% well above the league average of roughly 11%. Trust me, there is nothing better than watching Castillo throw his changeup. The rise in his strikeout rate shouldn’t surprise many as Castillo has two legitimate swing and miss pitches in his changeup and slider. Luis Castillo – Luis Castillo’s 16.1% SwStr% matches up well with his 30.3 K%. With Bieber’s stellar command and deep arsenal expect him to continue making his case as the best pitcher in baseball. If hitters keep chasing his curveball, by all means, keep throwing it outside of the zone.

There is good reasoning here though because when Bieber has thrown his curveball outside of the zone it has produced a. The crazy part is that he never throws it into the zone as it only has a 21.5% zone rate. The golden egg here is his curveball, it currently has a 54.7 O-Swing%, 27.5 SwStr%, and 88.2 GB%. The 19.8% is driven by his two secondary pitches, both of which have a 27.0 SwStr% or higher. Shane Bieber – Shane Bieber’s 18.7 SwStr% comes with a 43.3 K%, both of which are insanely high and likely due for regression.

Mlb swing and miss leaders