X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Statcast Changeup Movement Profiles for Week 12

Connelly Doan examines the Statcast changeup pitch movement breakdown to identify starting pitchers whose impressive and poor curveballs could make them worth adding or dropping in fantasy baseball for Week 12.

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers advanced stats and StatCast studs and duds article series! Each week we will select an advanced stat, choose two studs and two duds, and analyze what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. This will be my second installment using Statcast's new pitch movement tab to look at pitchers' changeup movement; the first investigated curveball movement. 

Statcast's pitch movement data breaks out each pitch by vertical and horizontal movement in inches compared to average movement. For vertical movement, positive numbers refer to relative rise while negative numbers refer to relative drop. For horizontal movement, positive numbers refer to relative break while negative numbers refer to relative lack of break.

Rather than choose studs and duds per se, I will pick one pitcher from each of the four quadrants and analyze how their particular movement has helped or hurt them this season. Pitchers' secondary pitches are key to gaining strikeouts, so taking a look at them can shed insight into their overall fantasy performance. That being said, let's dive in!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Changeup: Strong Drop and Break

All stats current as of 6/17/19, courtesy of Baseballsavant.com 

 

Sergio Romo - Miami Marlins

Vertical Drop: 4 inches greater than average
Horizontal Break: 4.9 inches more than average

Our first pitcher has an unorthodox way of pitching but has been fantasy relevant before in his carer and may be so again. 36-year-old veteran Sergio Romo's side-arm delivery is odd, as is his pitch mix of a primary slider (53.9% usage), followed by his changeup (19.6% usage), and then his sinker and four-seamer. Romo currently has an ugly 5.25 ERA but also has converted 12 of 13 save opportunities for the Marlins. Could Romo actually provide more fantasy value than his peripherals suggest? 

Romo's slider and changeup both have a ton of spin on them (2,852 and 2,156 revolutions per minute, respectively), hence the vertical and horizontal movement on his changeup. He has generated a respectable 14.5% swinging-strike rate with the pitch, and while his batting average against it has been .292, the expected batting average is at a lower .192. Romo's pitch movement has also allowed him to avoid hard contact (84.9-MPH average exit velocity, 23.6% hard-hit rate).

As for his ERA, Romo's season mark has been jacked up from two outings in which he allowed four earned runs each. Of his remaining 22 outings, he has allowed one earned run six times and no earned runs 16 times. So while his ERA may not reflect it, Romo has actually done a pretty good job at limiting runs and converting saves this season while posting a respectable 20% K rate. His movement on his changeup and slider have allowed him to be relatively successful fantasy-wise, and, at just 43% ownership, he is available in deeper roto leagues.

 

Changeup: Strong Drop

All stats current as of 6/17/19, courtesy of Baseballsavant.com 

 

Carlos Carrasco - Cleveland Indians

Vertical Drop: 5.6 inches greater than average
Horizontal Break: 4.4 inches less than average

Carlos Carrasco has had an unfortunate season to this point, pitching well-below his standards (4-6 record with a 4.98 ERA) and also recently being placed on the IL with a blood condition. Obviously, we all hope that Carrasco is ok and will soon return from his condition. That being said, from a fantasy perspective, Carrasco's poor performance and injury present an excellent buy-low opportunity, as his underlying stats have been much better than his peripherals, thanks in part the use of his changeup as a swing-and-miss pitch. Let's take a look at the evidence to support Carrasco.

Several strong indicators stand out. The first is Carrasco's strong command. His K rate of 28.7% is above his 25.3% career mark, thanks to his slider (22.4% swinging-strike rate) and changeup (18.5%). Carrasco's changeup is so deceptive due to its lack of spin (1,433 revolutions per minute), which leads to its drop. Also, his 4% walk rate is a career low. Despite this, Carrasco has a bloated .353 BABIP, well above his .309 career mark. This screams positive regression. 

Another indicator is Carrasco’s batted-ball profile. His 90.9-MPH average exit velocity and 47.3% hard-hit rate are both in the bottom seven percent of the league and are significantly higher than his averages since 2015 (87.4 MPH and 34.3%, respectively). Despite these numbers being skewed, Carrasco has still managed to pitch with strong command (see above). Additionally, his 3.38 SIERA indicates that he has pitched much better overall despite the kind of contact he has given up.

Carrasco is a top-end fantasy starter when he is healthy, thanks in part to his changeup. His velocity and strikeout ability are still there (one of the main things to go for declining pitchers as they age) and his command and SIERA suggest that his stuff is still there, so I am not worried about the 32-year-old. He is a buy-low candidate with the only caveat being the question of his health. I would be willing to take the risk given the potential reward.

 

Changeup: Strong Break

All stats current as of 6/17/19, courtesy of Baseballsavant.com 

 

Mike Soroka - Atlanta Braves

Vertical Drop: 3.5 inches less than average
Horizontal Break: 4.7 inches greater than average

Our next pitcher has been highly touted for a few seasons as a prospect and is now showing the fantasy world why. 21-year-old Mike Soroka has been incredible for the Braves this season, going 7-1 with a 1.92 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts over 70 1/3 IP. He relies primarily on his sinker but also mixes in a slider, four-seamer, and changeup. His fastballs are not overpowering, averaging about 92.9 MPH, but both his slider and changeup have insane movement on them (2,729 and 2,220 revolutions per minute, respectively). Let's look at how Soroka's changeup has helped him this season.

The movement Soroka gets on his changeup is simply stunning. The pitch doesn't drop all that much but has a ton of horizontal movement on it, acting almost like a reverse slider. Soroka doesn't throw it a ton (10.8% usage) but has found great success with it (.200 batting average against, 22.7% swinging-strike rate). It is his best swing-and-miss pitch, so it is actually surprising that he doesn't throw it more.

Further, the movement on all of his pitches allow Soroka to avoid damaging contact. His batted-ball profile is quite impressive (86.2-MPH average exit velocity, 31.8% hard-hit rate, 2.1-degree launch angle); he has been able to keep the ball down in the zone and batted balls on the ground. Soroka's strong command (0.97 WHIP, 6.3% walk rate) is impressive given his age and is a positive sign of his skills being legit.

Soroka is clearly a valuable fantasy asset in dynasty leagues as well as single-season leagues. It seems like he even has room to grow in terms of his strikeouts given his changeup. If he can mix the pitch in more frequently, he could add strikeout pitcher to his list of accolades.

 

Changeup: Below-Average Drop and Break

All stats current as of 6/17/19, courtesy of Baseballsavant.com 

 

Jose Quintana - Chicago Cubs

Vertical Drop: 1.1 inches less than average
Horizontal Break: 4.0 inches less than average

Our final pitcher's changeup has both a lack of vertical and horizontal movement compared to the league average, which isn't necessarily a negative thing. Jose Quintana's changeup may not be as useful of a strikeout pitch as some of the others we have discussed, but, when working effectively, the pitch can be deceptive. Let's take a look at Quintana's use of the pitch and how effective or not it has been for him this season.

Quintana has never been a high-strikeout pitcher and this has continued to be the case this season (20.2% K rate, 9.1% swinging-strike rate). His changeup follows suit; he has only a 12.3% swinging-strike rate with the pitch. However, his changeup can be used as a crafty change of pace and a different look because the pitch's velocity is just different enough from his fastball to throw hitters off (86.4 MPH for changeup, 91.5 MPH for fastball). The problem is that hitters are not always fooled by the pitch. Quintana has yielded a .311 batting average with the pitch. Fortunately, he doesn't throw the pitch much (10.7% usage), but, unfortunately, he is not finding success with a pitch that has worked for him in the past. 

Quintana hasn't pitched poorly by any means, but he hasn't been special either. His 3.87 ERA and 1.34 WHIP have been decent but not close to the level he pitched at when he was with the White Sox. Due to his lack of strikeouts, Quintana doesn't offer a ton of upside as a fantasy pitcher. The lack of difference between his fastball and changeup have particularly limited his strikeout upside this season. Quintana should continue to be an unexciting back-end fantasy starter.

More Sabermetrics & Statcast for Fantasy Baseball




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF