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 Slider Usage Studs and Duds for Week 20

Connelly Doan examines the Statcast slider usage metric to identify starting pitchers whose impressive and poor stats with the pitch could make them worth adding or dropping in fantasy baseball for Week 20.

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. Last week I used Statcast's pitch arsenal tab to look at starters' four-seam fastball usage and this week I will do the same for slider usage.

Pitchers' secondary pitches need to be strong in order to achieve high strikeout rates, a metric that matters greatly to fantasy players, so it is worth identifying those starters who can rely on their secondary pitches.

I will pick two high-volume slider pitchers who have done well this season and two who have not or are slumping recently. Let's get into it!

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

 

Slider Studs

All stats current as of 8/12/19, courtesy of Baseballsavant.com 

 

Clayton Kershaw - Los Angeles Dodgers

39.7% slider usage

Our first pitcher needs no introduction; he has been one of baseball's best pitchers for many seasons. Clayton Kershaw has been great once again this season, going 11-2 with a 2.77 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 25.4% K rate. While he is known for his looping curveball, Kershaw's main secondary pitch is his slider, which he throws almost as much as his fastball. Let's take a look at this pitch and how it has helped Kershaw.   

Kershaw's slider is so effective thanks in part to its high spin rate (2,674 revolutions per minute). That mark is third-highest among pitchers who have thrown the pitch at least 500 times this season. Kershaw's numbers against the pitch reflect how good it is; his .217 batting average against, .230 expected batting average against, and 18.3% swinging-strike rate are all stellar.

There isn't a ton to analyze here, as most fantasy players know that Kershaw is an elite option. However, it is surprising to see how frequently he relies on his slider. It makes sense as his fastball is not overpowering, but Kershaw is typically known for his curveball (which is also a great pitch). So long as he can stay healthy for the rest of the season, Kershaw will continue to help fantasy teams into the playoffs.

 

 

Patrick Corbin - Washington Nationals

36.9% slider usage

Our second pitcher blew up in 2018 because of his nasty slider and has continued to bring it this season. Patrick Corbin relied heavily on his slider last season and some people in the fantasy community were worried that he would not be able to continue to find success using it so much, but he has shown that the pitch really is that dominant. Corbin is 9-5 with a 3.41 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 28.6% K rate this season. Let's look at his unusual but effective usage of the slider.

Corbin actually uses the slider as his primary pitch, throwing it more than his sinker (36.9% vs 33.9% usage). The slider is clearly his best pitch; Corbin has a .171 batting average against, .153 expected batting average against, and an insane 26.3% swinging-strike rate. Corbin gets an above-average 2,406 revolutions per minute spin rate on the pitch, causing it to drop about an inch more than the average slider. The pitch is one of baseball's best, which is why Corbin has become a higher-end fantasy option.  

Fantasy players aren't wrong in questioning whether a starter could be successful with a non-fastball primary pitch, but Corbin has shown that it can be done for almost two seasons now. He did scuffle at the start of the season but is locked in now, playing well for a Nationals team that is fighting for a playoff spot. Fantasy owners should feel comfortable relying on Corbin and his slider down the stretch.

 

Slider Duds

All stats current as of 8/12/19, courtesy of Baseballsavant.com 

 

Chris Sale - Boston Red Sox

38.3% slider usage

Our third pitcher is in the same top tier as Kershaw but has not performed like it this season. Chris Sale has gone 6-11 with a 4.41 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 35.3% K rate. His numbers are excellent other than his ERA, but that won't make fantasy owners feel better. The top concern coming into the season was Sale's health and, while he does appear to be healthy, his fastball velocity has dropped. Consequently, Sale has relied even more on his slider (38.3% usage vs 36.1% fastball usage). There is still time for Sale to potentially help fantasy owners, but what should they expect from him?

Fortunately, all signs point to Sale still being a fantasy stud. His fastball is still quite an effective pitch, but his slider is even better, so it has been a smart transition in using it more. He gets a spin rate of 2,486 revolutions per minute on the pitch, causing it to move a ton (vertical drop of 4.8 inches above league average, horizontal break of 2.9 inches above league average). Consequently, he has a .204 batting average against it, a .172 expected batting average against, and a 17.1% swinging-strike rate.

Further, several signs point to Sale just being unlucky this season. His .312 BABIP is higher than his .293 career mark and his 3.01 SIERA is much lower than his ERA. Overall, Sale still shows all the signs of an elite pitcher, thanks in part to his elite slider.  Unfortunately, he has gotten unlucky, but fantasy owners should not be deterred. given how he has pitched.

 

 

Matthew Boyd - Detroit Tigers

37.4% slider usage

Our final pitcher had a huge amount of hype surrounding him in the beginning of the season but has had mixed results since. Matthew Boyd has an impressive 31.9% K rate, but he also has a mediocre 4.16 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. The K rate can be attributed to Boyd's fastball-slider combo, which are pretty much the only two pitches he throws. Does Boyd have what it takes to improve his ERA as well as his K rate?  

Boyd gets a lot of spin on both his fastball (2,390 revolutions per minute) and slider (2,365 revolutions per minute), which has helped him get away with throwing basically two pitches (48.7% fastball usage, 37.4% slider usage). His 19.5% swinging-strike rate on his slider is particularly impressive. Also, like Sale, his 3.34 SIERA is lower than his ERA and his .315 BABIP is higher than his .298 career mark.  

Many signs point to Boyd getting unlucky this season based on his underlying numbers. However, this is the first season that he has found success. I had difficulty trusting him in the beginning of the season based on his history and still feel the same. I could understand fantasy owners relying on him now as they have all season long, but I wouldn't want to leave the fate of my fantasy season on his arm. 

 

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