The Cubs have a Neil Ramirez problem. After crushing the competition in 2014, to the tune of 43 2/3 innings pitched, a 1.44 ERA, 2.61 FIP, and 10.9 K/9 with 3.5 BB/9, Ramirez fell off in 2015 due to problems with his throwing shoulder. His average fastball velocity, which was 95.4 MPH in 2014, dropped […]
Tag: Fastballs
Travis Wood: Trustworthy Bullpen Linchpin, or Flash in the Bullpen Pan?
Last season, an emergent Travis Wood played a huge role in the Cubs’ mid-season bullpen revival. A unit that staggered out of the gate turned into one of the league’s best for (most of) the rest of the season, and one of the key turning points was Wood’s demotion into a relief role in mid-May. […]
John Lackey Has Become A Man In Need of Few Pitches
Brevity, as it so often has been said in sentences much shorter and more concise and less redundant and less repetitive than this one, is the soul of wit. For John Lackey, brevity was the soul of his 2015. Last season, among qualified starting pitchers, Lackey ranked third in pitches per plate appearance (3.49) and […]