This is a preview of the Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter, an e-mail newsletter about all things baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the field from the perspective of the informed outsider.
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Bryce Elder is the story here. The fifth-year righty throws his slider more than a third of the time and no one is touching it. He is throwing more four-seam fastballs and fewer sinkers, while introducing a cut fastball that has given him a needed out pitch against lefties (.167 AVG, .278 SLG allowed). He’s striking out 24% of the batters he’s faced, a career high. Even if you think his 1.81 ERA is a mirage, advanced stats show real improvement: a 3.10 FIP and a 2.91 xERA. Elder is simply a better pitcher than he was a year ago, while also getting a little lucky.
