Erik Swanson

Swanson only threw his changeup 14% of the time, but it still generated the worst pitch value of his arsenal at a -4.5 pVAL. He rarely turned to this pitch, but when he did, opposing batters managed to make solid contact more often than not.

Swanson managed to crack a major league roster in 2019, but struggled to keep the ball in the park. He gave up a career-high 2.64 HR/9, as well as a career-high 23.0% HR/FB rate. Opposing batters were able to keep up with his 92.7 mph fastball, which he relied on 67.8% of the time.

Swanson’s slider was the only pitch to generate a positive pitch value last season with a 0.7 pVAL. Given the ease with which opposing batters managed to catch up to his changeup in 2019, it wouldn’t surprising to see him turn to this pitch less if he managed to crack a major league roster in 2020.