It’s the last week of February. This week, all 30 MLB teams will play in spring training games. Each team is trying to build up a team that is ready for the Opening Day. In particular, for each team, it’s surely important to identify the pitchers in the rotation. While watching some spring training games, it’s quite clear that pitchers are still building up innings.
It’s just the beginning of the spring training games and there is still time for players to get ready for the regular season. However, while seeing some pitchers who didn’t pitch well in the first inning, I began to think about a question. Last season, who faced a lot of problems in the first inning?
To understand a little bit more, I chose to check on the great Fangraphs website.
Luke Weaver tossed 123.2 innings 2023 and it’s the second time that he threw at least 100 innings in a single season. Weaver finished the 2023 season with a 6.40 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. He certainly didn’t have a great season in 2023 and a key problem is that he didn’t pitch well in the first inning. Last year, Weaver made 25 starts and gave up 44 hits in the first inning. Opponents batted .376 against him in the first inning. In particular, he gave up 10 home runs in the first inning.
Well, it’s unlikely to see Julio Urias pitch in the 2024 season because of his personal issues and Adam Wainwright retired after the 2023 season. Urias and Wainwright each made 21 starts last season. Additionally, they didn’t pitch well in the first inning. In the first innings, Urias gave up 31 hits and Wainwright allowed 34 hits. Opponents did hit well against them with a BAA of .370 or higher.
In addition, Miles Mikolas made 35 starts in 2023, posting a 4.78 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. However, in the first inning, he gave up 48 hits and had an ERA over 6. Opponents’ batting average against Mikolas was .336 in the first inning. Moreover, opponents hit .333 against Paul Blackburn and Jack Flaherty in the first inning. Blackburn made 20 starts in 2023 and gave up 26 hits in the first inning. In the meantime, in the first inning, Flaherty allowed 36 hits and gave up 19 walks.
Finally, Patrick Corbin gave up 43 hits in the first inning last year and 10 of those hits were home runs. And 3 other pitchers each had a BAA of .310 or higher in the first inning.
Well, we won’t see Julio Urias and Adam Wainwright pitch in the 2024 season. However, for those starting pitchers who didn’t pitch well in the first inning, it will be interesting to see whether they can do a better job in the first inning this year. Perhaps, we could see if they make some adjustments in the spring training games. Nowadays, MLB teams have different ways of using pitchers. For some teams, before some of those pitchers take the mound, using an opener could be a good idea?
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