Jose Urquidy

A truly devestating pitch with nearly double the typical horizontal movement for a changeup, Urquidy saw great results with this pitch in 2019, holding hitters to a .163 AVG and a 52 wRC+ while striking out 26.9% of batters. In order to set this pitch free in 2019, he’ll need to cut back on the HRs with the pitch (21.4 HR/FB%) and get more chases outside the zone, but this is a pitch to keep an eye on in 2020.

The 2019 results Urquidy saw for his curveball (-0.8 pVAL, .412 AVG, 150 wRC+) masks its potential. Possessing good movement, it put together a 37.3 O-Swing% with a 38.6 zone% and a 14.5 SwStr%. It’s just a few minor improvements away from becoming a major weapon for Urquidy.

Urquidy’s fastball racked up 3.2 pVAL in just 328 pitches. With good rising action, it’s horizontal movement to the glove side might help explain its 23.0 O-Swing% and 32.1 IFFB%. He will need to cut down on the home runs given up by his fastball, but it has all makings of an effective main weapon for Urquidy.

Urquidy flashed his slider in his debut MLB season, and there was a lot to like. A healthy 47.1% whiff rate explains why he gave up only five hits all season on this pitch. He favored his changeup a little more, but don’t be surprised to see him ramp up his slider usage to induce punchouts next season.