In my spare time, I have been working on a case study regarding Major League pitchers for my Senior Thesis next year at Syracuse University. Although I cannot go into greater detail yet, I would like to show off a fraction of the work I have done. I wanted to take a look at every reliever since the beginning of the game. I compared every relievers' Strike Out Percentage (K%) to their Ground Ball Percentage (GB%). Doing this, we can categorize pitchers in unique ways. The grey lines represent the average reliever's K% and GB%. If a player is right of the line, they're considered to have an above-average K%. If a player lands above the gray line, the same can be said for GB%. Any player that falls in the area shaded in gray is considered to have an "elite K%," according to FanGraphs. The same can be said for any player shaded in the faded yellow for GB%. The most exciting finding from this data is at the top right of the graph. There are many "Strike Out Specialists" in the gray and a respectable amount of "Ground Ball Specialists" in the yellow, but what if a player was categorized as both? That's where Carson Smith comes into play. Smith is the only reliever in the HISTORY of baseball to have an "excellent K% and GB%." What does this tell us? By adding his 'X' and 'Y' values together, we can confidentially make this conclusion: 92% of Carson Smith's outs came from ground balls and strikeouts. An absolutely ridiculous and impressive percentage. In a changing game where launch angle, exit velocity, and trying to keep the ball off the ground offensively is popularized, there is so much value in the 3-quarter arm slot reliever like Smith. (Attached is a clip of his unique arm slot from his debut in 2014.) The best part about it: Smith did not play a single game for an MLB team last season and was an Unrestricted Free Agent. (Noted: Smith did receive shoulder surgery in the Summer of 2018). I hope someone in the league finds his potential value and uses it to their advantage.
Findings like this boost my passion for the game. As I continue to work on my Senior Thesis, hopefully, I will be able to share more of my work without giving away the premise of my Case Study. I am in the process of looking for an internship with a team this summer, so if you enjoyed the article, please share and let me know your feedback. It's very much appreciated! Dylan McGee
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