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THREAD Aaron Civale 1-2, 2.84 ERA, 1.00 WHIP in 3 starts this season. What's he doing?
1) Diverse arsenal
2) But he's locating a lot of that diverse arsenal in the same place--down and away to RH and down and in to LH
3) He's throwing his cutter most frequently (30%), and it's been dynamite-- .181 xWOBA, 41.9% Whiff% on a pitch that's really designed to generate weak contact. Here's a 3-1 FC at 88 mph on the black.
The 4S (26.2%) he's using up in the zone to change eye level. It's a fine offering (.293 xwOBA) with some good armside run that he's landing for called strikes. Perez back there framing for him doesn't hurt either.
The curveball is a teardrop shape offering spinning between 2700-2800 rpm, generating whiffs at 45%
The slider's been a little more inconsistent. When it's working, it's coming in 10 mph under the 4S at 81 with a similar movement pattern to the FC with more 2-plane movement. Perez with another frame job. But he's left a couple over the plate that got driven (2 HR)
Then the CH comes in around 85 with good depth and fade away from LH bats. This one to Grandal is a strike either way. Sets up like the FC but drops off in the opposite direction.
Civale commands almost everything well, but his command of the FC is the difference maker so far this season. It's the pitch the whole arsenal works off, so as long as he's feeling that, he's going to be effective.
Concerns? Hitters picking up the 4S and driving it. SL command remains the same and keeps getting punished.
But for a back-end starter? This is a superb profile.
