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yusei kikuchi's underrated 2020 (thread)
after yusei's disappointing rookie season (5.46 ERA 5.40 xERA 5.71 FIP 5.18 xFIP 5.17 SIERA), he made some very noticable changes to his pitching repertoire.
he stopped throwing his curveball, which got absolutely crushed in 2019 (.409 wOBA .429 xwOBA), and added a new pitch, a cutter, which he threw 40% of the time in 2020. this was very effective (.311 wOBA .288 xwOBA) and was his best putaway pitch as well.
these changes helped kikuchi improve across the board in his sophomore season.
2019->2020
FIP: 5.71->3.30
xFIP: 5.18->3.78
FIP-: 127->75
SIERA: 5.17->4.34
xERA: 5.4->3.51
K%: 16.1%->24.2%
HR/9: 2.00->0.57
barrel%: 7.7%->3.9%
wOBA: .368->.295
xwOBA: .352->.279
xSLG: .486->.324
2019->2020
FIP: 5.71->3.30
xFIP: 5.18->3.78
FIP-: 127->75
SIERA: 5.17->4.34
xERA: 5.4->3.51
K%: 16.1%->24.2%
HR/9: 2.00->0.57
barrel%: 7.7%->3.9%
wOBA: .368->.295
xwOBA: .352->.279
xSLG: .486->.324
the main reason a lot of yusei's improvements have been overlooked is he still had an unimpressive 5.17 ERA. its important to realize though, ERA is a very flawed stat (especially in smaller sample sizes) and doesnt tell the full story.
by ERA-FIP differential, kikuchi was the 3rd unluckiest pitcher in baseball in 2020. (min 65 IP)
in conclusion, yusei kikuchi made many clear improvements across the board in 2020, and mariners fans have many reasons to be optimistic about his performance going into 2021.
end of thread (like and RTs appreciated)
end of thread (like and RTs appreciated)
