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MLB: Byron Buxton Leads the 2016 Statcast Superstars

By Benjamin Chase

Sep 6, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (25) runs to first in the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Target Field. The Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 10-3. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 6, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (25) runs to first in the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Target Field. The Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 10-3. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Spin Rate Leaders

Justin Verlander’s fiance has been getting the publicity of late, but it was due to his resurgent year that the baseball community took notice of Justin Verlander again.

In rate of spin on pitches, most remember Seth Lugo’s curveball that ended up breaking a Statcast record for the amount of spin on a pitch, but we’re talking about fastball spin here.

Verlander was the leader among starters in rpm on his fastball, reaching a ridiculous 2,565 rpm when the league average was 2,264. That allowed Verlander to get up in the zone with plenty of swinging strikes.

However, Verlander wasn’t the guy who truly led the league overall. He finished third. Andrew Bailey finished first, but he struggled to find the strike zone.

The real star of spin in 2016 was Cubs reliever C.J. Edwards. His high velocity stuff kept hitters to a batting average that was roughly half of the Mendoza line. He finished with a spin rate of 2,659 rpm, nearly 100 rpm MORE spin than Verlander!

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