Pitching isn’t easy. Seeing results on the field is one thing, but finding supporting data to back up the success takes things to the next level. Let’s dig into the advanced pitching stats of three pitchers whose barrel rates and other batted ball metrics back up their strong results.
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Fantasy Baseball Advanced Pitching Stats
Peterson Eats Innings
We had a rarity last week: a complete game shutout. Credit to the New York Mets for letting David Peterson go, but the southpaw did a great job finishing things off. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, as Peterson is in the midst of a strong season. Entering his start against Atlanta earlier this week, Peterson had the fifth-best barrel rate against at just 5.7%. That means when hitters make contact against Peterson, it’s generally not the contact that will do damage.
It also helps that Peterson keeps the ball on the ground, with a 57.3% ground ball rate, while walking 2.82 batters per nine innings. This all plays a part in Peterson’s success, but also his ability to pitch deep into games. It’s interesting, though, as he’s giving up a 46.1% hard hit rate, but with just a 4.6 degree average launch angle, there’s little reason to be concerned. This is where the elite barrel rate comes into play as well. With just 0.45 home runs allowed per nine innings, Peterson also keeps the ball in the park, which limits the damage.
When he needs a strikeout, Peterson can generally get it as he strikes out eight batters per nine innings. With a 2.49 ERA, Peterson is having an All-Star worthy season, and his 3.03 FIP reflects that as well. He’s done a great job of pitching to contact, but the quality of that contact leads to his success.
Rasmussen is Healthy
After dealing with injuries last year, Drew Rasmussen made his return but pitched strictly out of the bullpen. It shouldn’t have been surprising to see his velocity slightly elevated, 97.5 miles per hour, compared to his career mark which sits between 95.7 and 96.6. That’s certainly enough to find success. And when you combine that with the sixth best barrel rate against (5.7% then things are even better.
Rasmussen entered the week with a 2.55 ERA, with his 3.53 FIP showing that he can continue to be a solid rotation option. It doesn’t hurt that the Rays have been letting their pitchers go deeper into games as of late. Again, Rasmussen isn’t incredibly overpowering from a strikeout perspective, 7.54 per nine innings, but he’s also proficient at keeping runners off the bases. With just 1.82 walks per nine innings, opposing hitters aren’t in a position to do damage against him. Opposing hitters do hit the ball hard, 45.3% of the time, but with an average launch angle of just 8.1 degrees, they aren’t doing much damage.
Not every pitcher is going to overwhelm with strikeouts, and there’s no harm in that. It’s all about keeping the bases clear and not letting opposing hitters make strong contact.
Patrick Deserves Our Attention
There are certainly more exciting pitchers in Milwaukee, but Chad Patrick has been getting the job done. With only a 27.2% ground ball rate, the investment should be less, but there’s good news. Patrick has been surviving on one of the best barrel rates of the game, and that allows us to believe in him. That doesn’t mean we are without concerns, but it just gives more things to monitor.
With a 3.25 ERA, Patrick has found success this year, and that’s what puts him on our radar. A 3.47 FIP backs that up, but his 3.77 xERA also paints things in a more reasonable light. While the lack of ground balls isn’t ideal, it does help to explain his 40.9 degree average launch angle. Patrick is, quite simply, a fly ball pitcher. The fact that opposing hitters have a barrel rate of just 6.5% against him helps to limit that damage.
When you consider the fact that Patrick allows just 0.84 home runs per nine innings, that is solid evidence that the launch angle doesn’t necessarily cause problems. Similar to pitchers in this grouping, he strikes out about a batter per inning which makes him a solid fantasy option.
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