One of the quickest and most compelling ways for a pitcher to change dramatically is to simply adjust how much he throws each of his pitches. That messes with the hitter’s expectations, for one, but it also opens up the potential for the pitcher to find a better, more optimized plan of attack.Sometimes, the new pitch-usage patterns turn out to give the pitcher just a short-term boost because it’s merely a surprise for the hitters, and sometimes it’s a long-term change. Separating the two possible outcomes probably takes some digging underneath the results. More sustainable, predictive stats are as simple as striking out more and walking fewer. That’s the underpinning for most projections, like the ppERA and ppK% you see on these ranks, which are the product of OOPSY projections at FanGraphs.For example, Robbie Ray has changed his pitch mix more than anyone in baseball when compared to the first two months of the season.
Biggest pitch mix changes NamePitchEarly UseL30 UseChangeRobbie RayFourseam44.2%22.0%-22.2%Joey CantilloCurveball18.1%43.7%25.6%Andrew PainterChangeup0.0%21.4%21.4%Eury PérezSinker6.4%31.6%25.2%Grant HolmesFourseam33.1%19.2%-14.0%Parker MessickFourseam30.9%53.0%22.1%Kyle FreelandSinker3.0%17.8%14.8%Cade CavalliCutter0.1%14.6%14.5%Adrian HouserFourseam13.6%27.4%13.8%Bryce ElderSlider28.3%13.2%-15.1%
