Call to the pen
Fansided

MLB Players that can boost their free agency stock most

By CJ Luther

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 4: Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) heads for the dugout after finishing an inning during a game between the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers in game 2 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA on October 4, 2019 . (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 4: Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) heads for the dugout after finishing an inning during a game between the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers in game 2 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA on October 4, 2019 . (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 7
Next
Phillies
(Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

MLB Players That Can Boost Their Free Agency Stock Most

Jake Odorizzi, RHP

Having signed a one-year, $9.5MM deal with the Minnesota Twins this past offseason, right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi has experienced arguably the best season of his career. With a 3.51 ERA, 3.336 FIP, and career-high 27.1 K%, Odorizzi has been a massive piece of the Twins rotation. He was the second-most valuable pitcher on the staff this season, amassing 4.3 fWAR that trailed only Jose Berrios (4.4).

The 29-year old spent much of the past offseason fine-tuning his mechanics, specifically in building and using more momentum in his windup. His program has surely paid dividends, evidenced both by his bump in strikeout rate and 2 MPH increase in average fastball velocity, which in 2019, sat at a career-high 93.3 MPH.

It hasn’t been a completely smooth season for Odorizzi, however. Looking at standard statistics, his effectiveness has wavered in the second half of 2019. Advanced metrics paint a different picture, showing that he may have been better in the second half, lowering his xFIP from 4.64 to 3.93. On the whole, however, Odorizzi likely performed better than he should’ve this season. His season-long xFIP, which uses contact-quality to measure a pitcher’s expected performance, finished at 4.33, whereas his actual FIP was only 3.36.

This weekend, Odorizzi did not take the ball for Game 2, with manager Rocco Baldelli stating Odorizzi’s game would fair better in in Minnesota, a more pitcher-friendly park than Yankee Stadium. He’ll likely get the start in Game 3, and with the Twins up against elimination, a season-saving start from Odorizzi could do wonders for his offseason prospects.

The jury is still out on whether his 2019 success is sustainable, but Odorizzi has a chance to dispel any potential doubts.

Home/MLB News