MLB Mail Bags: Williams, Trade Deadline, Valdez, Keith, Red Sox, Msey, Jayce’s Outfield

Now it’s time to do our weekly MLB mailbags again. I played for Tim Dierkes again this week and he took over next week. In today’s mailbag, we’ll take a look Devin Williams‘Signature changes, a set of potential trade markets’ basic goals and their expenses, Framber Valdezincome capacity, Colt KeithRole in Detroit, Red Sox struggles and Rafael Devers“The future, the Dodgers’ third base prospect and Toronto’s outfielder collection. Let’s dive.

Eldon asked:

Granted, I never followed Devin Williams before he got him in NYY, but is it not surprising to be closer to more dependent on change? What is the current timetable?

Strangely, yes, but it’s hard to argue with this approach when saying the change is the best course in a baseball game since Williams’ debut. First, let’s take a look at Williams’ historically changing usage.

Sports Information Solutions began tracking pitch types in 2002. Since the 2002 season, the Rescuers have thrown more than 20 innings in 6,500 individual seasons. Only 20 of them saw a reliefer deploying his changes at 50% or higher. Williams has five. Tommy Kahnle There are four.

Of course, Williams isn’t the only reliefist to pursue a career due to fatal changes. Trevor Hoffman Ride his transformation into the Hall of Fame. Francisco Rodriguez and Fernando Rodney There are dominant changes at the peak. But no one threw their changes as often as Williams did. Broadly speaking, yes, rescuers rarely become such dependent changes. Rescuers have rarely even changed as their preferred product. The fastball/slider combo has been popular for years and is still the case.

Statcast and its pitch tracking data were launched in all 30 MLB parks in 2015. Williams’ “Airbender” has no surprise ranks it as the best change in the sport since 2015, but it’s also the No. 8 valuable stadium overall. The only individual tones with greater value at that time were (in order): Kenley JansenCutting knife, Josh HardThe pendant, Chad Greenfour-pin instrument (!!), Edwin Diazslider, Zack BrittonThe pendant, Emmanuel Clasecutter and Liam Hendriks‘Four people. Of course, it mentions that Jansen, Hard, Green, Hendricks and Diaz all shot much more in that decade-long window than Williams, who made his debut in 2019 only.