2020 MLB season: five Pitchers to Watch for
With the 2020 MLB season fast approaching, we must avert our eyes to the future. Here is a list of 5 starting pitchers that could surprise us this year.
During a time when the majority of the offseason transactions are complete and teams are simply attempting to fill out their respective rosters, it might serve well to look into the boundless hope of a fresh season in 2020. With that in mind, here are five pitchers that have the potential to shine during the 2020 season, whether they be breakouts or bounce backs.
As Spring Training begins to roll in, many will begin to search for the rising star or player with the most breakout potential. Yet, such analysis is volatile in nature and often futile in application. However, there are still a number of intriguing players – unproven and established – with the potential to make strides and possibly have exceptional seasons.
The discreet nature of a team’s audience and a player’s lack of name recognition can often shroud the talents of such a player until he begins to compile gaudy numbers. For instance, Shane Beiber of the Cleveland Indians displayed a true knack for the craft of pitching in 2018, yet it took an impressive run in the first half of 2019 for him to garner more attention.
Not every pitcher on this list can be lumped into this category, however. Some of the names are quite well-known, yet can even improve further on their documented success and reach new heights during the 2020 season.
2020 MLB season: 5 Pitchers to Watch for
Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks
After an impressive start to the 2019 season with the Miami Marlins, Zac Gallen was targeted and acquired by Arizona. A deal that now looks to be a steal. Over 15 starts and approximately 80 innings pitched, Gallen, accrued a WAR of 2.5 in his rookie season with an impressive ratio of 96 strikeouts to 36 free passes.
He features a 93 mph four-seam fastball, yet also blends it with a 79mph curveball and an 85 mph change-up. The change-up is his foremost “out pitch”, in other words, it is the key pitch he will go to in strikeout situations.
The reason for this is two-fold. First, it has a very sharp break, fading low and away beneath the bats of left-handers and towards right-handers, resultantly jamming them. The second reason that this pitch stands out is that it is the perfect companion for his fastball in both movement and velocity.
His fastball is not necessarily going to overpower any batters, however, this is not its main feature within Gallen’s repertoire. It can be thrown with pinpoint accuracy at times, which will likely be honed as he matures on the mound.
Whereas the change-up is a weapon for the lefties, his curve is an out pitch for his right-handed opponents. He can equip it to throw for a strike or in an attempt to have the batter chase a ball well out of the strike zone. It also should be noted that it has induced a high number of flyball outs.
In sum, Zac Gallen’s overwhelmingly positive rookie season in 2019 has him primed for an interesting 2020 MLB season. He is certainly worthy of keeping your eye on, especially with his profound breakout potential.
2020 MLB season: 5 Pitchers to Watch for
Jesus Luzardo, Oakland A’s
The 22-year-old Peruvian left-hander made his MLB debut in 2019, hurling twelve innings in which he only surrendered two runs, issued only three walks, and compiled sixteen strikeouts with two saves. He was slated to make the A’s rotation out of Spring Training last season, yet he became sidelined by a rotator cuff strain, which became compiled with a lat strain during rehab.
He features a three-pitch repertoire, which evenly splits the time between a four-seam fastball – occupying approximately 50% of his pitches – and curveball and change-up, which take up 30% and 20% respectively.
The fastball averages out at slightly over 96 mph, yet it can and has frequently touched 97 or above. It is not necessarily the most tantalizing pitch to swing at, as he employs it more so as a set-up for his secondary pitches. The four-seamer allows Jesus Luzardo to establish the strike zone, whereas the change and curve allow him to extend it.
The curve is particularly deceptive because it not only proceeds with a befuddling break, it also bends away from lefties and in towards righties. The change-up is thrown in the exact same plane as his four-seamer, yet it seems just halts and meanderingly drifts into the catcher’s mitt.
Therefore, the impressive complement of pitches allows Luzardo to stand out with the potential of a riveting run in Oakland during the 2020 MLB season.
2020 MLB season: 5 Pitchers to Watch for
Jack Flaherty, St. Louis Cardinals
It may seem like an evasive maneuver to proclaim a third-year pitcher that had a WAR of 6 (baseball reference) in 2019, as someone to keep your eye out for this season. Well obviously, he was one of the most impressive arms in the league last season. However, what I am attempting to say here is that Jack Flaherty is on course to be one of the best pitchers in the sport during the 2020 MLB season.
The Burbank-born right-handed hurler always had a great amount of talent. Simply by watching his composure and pitch sequence, one could see that he had the makings of an exceptional starter. Which he proved last season.
However, despite some spurts of absolute greatness, the Cardinals ace lacked consistency, the one aspect one needs to establish himself among the best in the league.
In 2018, he surpassed the 150 innings mark. In 2019, he fell just below 200 innings total. Over those innings, he was able to impressively lower his walks per nine ratio – by a staggering full point – while maintaining the same ratio of strikeouts per nine and batting average on balls in play.
Therefore, he was successful in spades in terms of limiting walks and produced a hardly shabby 2.75 ERA and 3.46 FIP. Also, he demonstrated a marked improvement in durability, as he lasted to give a full slate of 33 starts.
It should be noted that over a player’s first few seasons he is continuously building up his arm, as they cannot possibly compile enough innings in their minor league careers, especially under the duress of major league lineups. It cannot be replicated, therefore the adjustment period typically lasts a few seasons.
Flaherty seems to have navigated this period very well, boasting two very impressive seasons. Yet, 2020 might see a totally different output, as with two seasons behind him, he can now take the next step in his career path, bounding with possibility.
A relatively average start to the season, in which length was an obstacle, came to a head with a disastrous June. During this fateful month, the right-hander surrendered 9 home runs and held a 7.01 ERA. However, from this point on his monthly ERA never rose above 3, with the final two months standing firmly below 1.
He found consistency in the second half of the season and there is no reason why he should be unable to carry such thriving success over to 2020.
2020 MLB season: 5 Pitchers to Watch for
Yu Darvish, Chicago Cubs
Yu Darvish‘s time with the Cubs has been, all things considered, far from what could have been expected upon his signing. The disappointment stems from the fact that his first year and a half in the Windy City have been riddled with fits and starts.
His second half in 2019 was, alternatively, rather impressive and consistent. In his 13 starts following the All-Star break, he managed a 2.76 ERA and an opponents’ average of .199. A full season replaced from these struggles might very well propel the Japanese hurler back to his proper form.
The evidence simply lies within his struggles from last season, while it is never appropriate to outright blame misfortune, it is equally foolhardy to think that it has no role either. He had a number of outings in which things spiraled out of his control. Hits would pile up on many occasions, and not every one of these was well-struck.
Overall, one probably should take last season’s second half as evidence of a potential bounce-back season.
2020 MLB season: 5 Pitchers to Watch for
Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers
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The Milwaukee right-hander hurled 121 innings in 2019 and earned an All-Star appearance due to a breakthrough first half. However, this momentum became stifled with a strained oblique sustained on a July 21 start, which sidelined him until mid-September.
Brandon Woodruff is currently primed to sit atop the Brewers rotation to begin 2020, yet it is beyond plausible to project him to be among the best in the National League if he is able to maintain his health. His arm became somewhat “stretched-out” in 2019, as he ramped up his innings total from 42 in 2018 to 121 in 2019. Such, a rapid increase could lead to fatigue and in some cases, such as this, injury.
He predominantly relies upon a four-seam fastball – occupying 64% of his pitches thrown in 2019 – with a slider and change-up serving as his main secondary pitches. He also utilizes a curveball, infrequently, as the pitch is still under work.
His four-seamer averages out at slightly over 96 mph, but it can top out in the 98 mph range. In 2019, he verged towards a high ERA, in stints, as he sometimes lacked consistency. One of the main sources of this inconsistency was the lack of change-up control, which was taken advantage of when improperly delivered.
The slider and fastball worked well in tandem, yet as he continues to develop stamina as a starting pitcher it would seem logical that he would continue to hone his less refined pitches, as well.
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Therefore, he can take a very good season, although somewhat limited in 2019, and turn it into a full-throttle success during the 2020 MLB season.