Bryan Woo is because of begin this night towards the Athletics in Seattle. I anticipate he’ll go six innings. Why? As a result of he’s gone no less than six innings in all 24 of his begins this season. Woo’s streak, as you’ve most likely guessed, is the longest in baseball by a ways. Solely two different lively pitchers — Cristopher Sánchez and Spencer Schwellenbach — have gone six or extra of their 10 most up-to-date begins. (Schwellenbach will maintain that streak going by way of the top of the 12 months, having fractured his elbow in June.)
The truth that Woo has accomplished six innings each time he’s taken the mound this 12 months is self-evident proof that he’s been constant. However on the identical time, this yearlong run of metronomity has not been interrupted by bursts of transcendence. He’s solely recorded one out within the eighth inning all season. He hasn’t posted back-to-back scoreless begins since June of final 12 months, and he’s nonetheless on the lookout for the primary double-digit strikeout sport of his complete main league profession.
On April 12, Woo allowed one run throughout seven innings in a 9-2 win over the Rangers, decreasing his ERA to 2.84. Ever since then, his ERA has at all times been inside half a run in both path of three.00. It hasn’t been greater than 1 / 4 of a run from 3.00 because the second week of June. The person is a machine.
The opposite day, Meg got here to me asking if I’d meant to explain Logan Webb as one among “essentially the most pitchers within the NL.” Clearly not; I’d supposed to describe him as “most constant” and didn’t cease to drop within the adjective. However that bought me eager about who the “most pitcher” in baseball is, and it could be Woo.
Woo throws 5 pitches, and in contrast to another guys with deep repertoires, he throws all of them to hitters on either side of the plate no less than semi-regularly. (He won’t get a right-on-right changeup into each begin, nevertheless it’s not remarkable.)
He’s bought the most effective command of any certified starter, in line with PitchingBot (Webb is definitely shut behind), and he works within the zone (58.1% of the time, in line with Statcast) greater than any certified starter besides Jake Irvin. And a variety of these strikes are in the course of the plate; Woo has thrown 31.0% of his pitches in Statcast’s coronary heart zone, which ranks sixteenth out of 161 gamers with 1,000 or extra complete pitches this season.
He’s not distinctive there, on the mixture. He’s about common at producing swings and misses and suppressing wOBA on contact remodeled the center of the plate. (The truth is, in that latter class he’s third amongst starters whose final names begin with “Woo,” after Brandon Woodruff and Simeon Woods Richardson.)
However the number of stuff Woo throws has, considerably paradoxically, turned his fastball into the most effective within the league. There’s nothing outstanding about its velocity or motion, however opponents are hitting .147 with a 29.5% whiff price towards his four-seamer, and by way of mixture run worth, it’s been the most effective pitches in all of baseball.
Woo doesn’t have electrical breaking stuff or outlier fastball velocity, however he doesn’t stroll anyone and makes hitters beat him. Which occurs. Woo has allowed 10 batted balls with an exit velo of 110 mph or higher this 12 months, which is among the 20 highest totals within the majors. He has additionally allowed 22 house runs, which ties him for 14th within the league.
However 18 of these house runs have been solo pictures. That’s as a result of Woo has thrown 67.8% of his pitches this 12 months with the bases empty. That’s the eighth-highest share out of 161 starters who’ve thrown 1,000 or extra pitches this 12 months.
He’s additionally been higher — rather a lot higher — on these uncommon events when he has males on base or in scoring place. Woo has a .202 opponent wOBA with runners in scoring place, which is the sixth-best mark out of that group of starters, and 72 factors higher than his wOBA with the bases empty. In case you maintain the bases clear and bear down when somebody does get on, a house run goes from a disaster to an annoyance, and it’s simpler to go deep in video games.
It additionally helps to be environment friendly. Final 12 months, Woo led the league (amongst pitchers with 100 or extra innings) in each general strike share and first-pitch strike share. He was the one starter within the majors to throw greater than 70% of his pitches for strikes (together with referred to as and swinging).
He’s truly taken his foot off the fuel a bit of by way of pounding the zone this 12 months.
Bryan Woo, on the Assault
| Yr | GS | IP | Pitches/GS | Pitches/IP | Pitches/BF | IP/GS | Strike% | F-Strike% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 22 | 121 1/3 | 78.0 | 14.2 | 3.64 | 5.5 | 71.0% | 72.9% |
| 2025 | 24 | 152 | 91.0 | 14.4 | 3.64 | 6.3 | 67.7% | 66.8% |
However by way of general effectivity, Woo stays among the many league leaders. Right here you’ll discover the ten beginning pitchers who’ve thrown the fewest pitches per plate look.
MLB Leaders in Pitches per Batter Confronted
| Title | Workforce | GS | IP | Pitches/IP | Pitches/BF | Strike% | ERA- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germán Márquez | COL | 20 | 98 1/3 | 16.3 | 3.52 | 62.8% | 119 |
| Kyle Freeland | COL | 23 | 120 1/3 | 15.5 | 3.52 | 67.7% | 108 |
| Cristopher Sánchez | PHI | 25 | 157 | 14.5 | 3.58 | 66.3% | 58 |
| Zack Littell | TBR/CIN | 25 | 151 | 14.5 | 3.58 | 67.6% | 85 |
| Adrian Houser | CHW/TBR | 14 | 84 1/3 | 14.9 | 3.62 | 65.2% | 65 |
| Framber Valdez | HOU | 25 | 157 1/3 | 14.9 | 3.62 | 64.3% | 82 |
| Sonny Grey | STL | 25 | 140 1/3 | 14.9 | 3.62 | 66.7% | 104 |
| Spencer Schwellenbach | ATL | 17 | 110 2/3 | 14.2 | 3.62 | 68.7% | 73 |
| Antonio Senzatela | COL | 22 | 104 | 17.3 | 3.64 | 61.6% | 153 |
| Bryan Woo | SEA | 24 | 152 | 14.4 | 3.64 | 67.7% | 79 |
Minimal 80 innings
You’ll discover that the standard of pitchers right here is all around the map. Truly, I take that again. There are seven good pitchers right here and three Rockies. As a result of typically a first-pitch strike at Coors Subject turns right into a 440-foot homer.
However, it’s value mentioning that there are a ton of excellent pitchers who’re among the many league leaders in pitches per plate look. Freddy Peralta is throwing 4.22 pitches per plate look; that’s an additional seven-tenths of a pitch to each batter than Freeland throws. Zack Wheeler, MacKenzie Gore, Hunter Brown, and Logan Gilbert aren’t any. 6 by way of no. 10 on the most-pitches-per-batter leaderboard. Paul Skenes is twelfth.
However guys who go deep each sport are inclined to throw fewer pitches per plate look. Along with Woo, Sánchez and Schwellenbach — the opposite two lively starters with a 10-game streak of constructing it by way of the sixth inning — are within the prime 10 in effectivity on a per-batter foundation.
In case you change the denominator from per batter to per inning, nonetheless, you get a a lot, a lot stronger correlation with pitcher high quality. Which is sensible; the variety of pitches a pitcher throws per inning is extra a operate of permitting fewer baserunners than throwing extra strikes.
I’ve highlighted Schwellenbach in brown, Woo in gold, and Sánchez in purple. These three aren’t any. 1, no. 2, and no. 4 in fewest pitches per inning. Zack Littell, the league chief in solo house runs allowed, is the one pitcher to interrupt up that group.
Complaints about how pitchers by no means go deep into video games anymore have grown a bit tiresome. It’s a unique sport now than it was again within the Nineteen Sixties, and even the Nineteen Nineties. You’ll be able to’t simply pound the zone with a mid-90s fastball all of the stay lengthy day and anticipate to get by way of six or seven innings each trip.
Properly, “you” can’t, however Woo can. Possibly he’s bought a time machine. Granted, he’s not Nolan Ryaning his method by way of 180 pitches a begin — Woo has hit the 100-pitch mark solely thrice in his complete profession, and has by no means gone over 103 — however when a fastball within the zone is an out pitch, the remainder of the puzzle solves itself.