The Braves ‘X-factor’ returns just in time
\n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”oembed”,”width”:550,”contentType”:”rich”},{ “__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”* **Hard Hit Rate Allowed:** 32.7% (88th MLB percentile)\n\nFried’s hard hit rate allowed is a consequence of his exit velocity. Less than a third of the batted balls Fried allowed during the regular season were hit at 95 mph or faster, which is the hard contact threshold according to Statcast. Over the last four seasons, dating back to 2020, he ranked in the 82nd percentile of MLB pitchers or better in hard hit rate.\n\n* **Barrel Rate Allowed:** 3.8% (95th MLB Percentile )\n\nThe worst type of contact a pitcher can allow is a barrel roll, i.e. hitting the ball with the optimal exit velocity and launch angle; barrels turn into home runs and extra-base hits. Fried is one of the best at preventing batters from batting the ball.\n\nIn fact, he has been the _best starting pitcher at preventing barrels this season, with just eight barrels allowed on a total of 211 batted balls against him. And since Fried became a full-time starter in 2019, this is his fourth season in at least the 92nd percentile of Major League pitching with a barrel rate allowed.\n\n**SP with lowest barrel rate allowed, 2023**\n \n1. **Max. fried: 3.8%**\n2. Tarik Skubal: 4.2%\n3. Steven Matz: 4.7%\n4. Marcus Stroman: 5.0%\n5. Zack Wheeler / Joe Musgrove / José Quintana: 5.1%”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Video”,”contentDate”:”2023-08-04T20:27:27.114Z”, “preferredPlaybackScenarioURL ({\”preferredPlaybacks\”:\”mp4AvcPlayback\”})”:”https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-08/04/62929c9b-0f5a80cf-3a250716- csvm- diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4″,”type”:”video”,”description”:”Max Fried throws six scoreless frames while striking out eight batters in his dominant performance against the Cubs after returning from the IL”,”displayAsVideoGif”: false , “duration”: “00:01:44”, “slug”: “max-fried-s-dominant-return”, “tags”:[{“__typename”:”GameTag”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-144″,”title”:”Atlanta Braves”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:144″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-608331″,”title”:”Max Fried”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:608331″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”highlight-reel-starting-pitching”,”title”:”highlight reel starting pitching”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”pitching”,”title”:”pitching”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”in-game-highlight”,”title”:”in-game highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”highlight”,”title”:”highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”game-action-tracking”,”title”:”game action tracking”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”apple-news”,”title”:”Apple News”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”samsung-vod”,”title”:”Samsung VOD”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”eclat-feed”,”title”:”Eclat feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”international-feed”,”title”:”International Partner feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”fan-duel”,”title”:”Fan Duel”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”imagen-feed”,”title”:”Imagen feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”alexa”,”title”:”alexa”,”type”:”taxonomy”}]”thumbnail”:{“__typename”:”Thumbnail”,”templateUrl”:”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/honikgnfkgewqqtvdl93″},”title” :”Max Fried’s Dominant Return”,”relativeSiteUrl”:”/video/max-fried-s-dominant-return”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”* **Induced ball strike rate after ground ball :** 59.2% (97th MLB percentile)\n\nThat’s a big mark for Fried in 2023. As a starting pitcher, he had the highest ground ball rate of his career. Combine that with a career-low 19.0% line drive rate allowed and, of course, the fewer line drives a pitcher allows, the better.\n\n Frieda’s ground ball rate was the second-highest among starting pitchers and is surrounded by famous ground ball specialists on this leaderboard.\n\n**SP with the highest ground ball rate in 2023**\n\n1. Logan Webb: 62.7%\n2. **Max Fried: 59.2%**\n3. Alex Cobb: 57.8%\n4 Cristopher Sánchez: 57.7%\n5.Marcus Stroman: 57.4%\n\nFried’s substitution, which he made 16.5% of the time in the regular season, the most in his career, was particularly effective when playing the ball on the ground. More than two-thirds of the contact against his changeup remained on the ground. Fried’s new sweeper was also excellent at forcing grounders into small attempts.\n\nFried will have to use all his weapons against the Phillies team that beat him in the playoffs last year. But if that happens, he’s the type of pitcher who can put the World Series favorites back in the driver’s seat.\n\n”There are no secrets. I think I’ve faced the Phillies more than anyone in my career,” Fried said. \”They know what I have. I know what they have. There are no secrets. I just stick to feeling the rubber, making and throwing the shots I need to.\””,”type”:”text”}],contentType ” :”news”,”subHeadline”:null,”summary”:”Ronald Acuña Jr. led MLB in stolen bases. Matt Olson led MLB in home runs. Spencer Strider led Majors in strikeouts. Braves led MLB in wins. What else Can Atlanta add to the juggernaut it has created?\nOh, right, its World Series-winning ace.\nMax Fried is back and was”,”motto({\”formatString\”:\”none\”})” : null,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”InternalTag”,”slug”:”storytype-article”,”title”:”Article”,”type”:”article”},{“__typename”:”ContributorTag”,”slug”:”david-adler”,”title”:”David Adler”,”type”:”contributor”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”player-tracking”,”title”:”Statcast”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”apple-news”,”title”:”Apple News”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-608331″,”title”:”Max Fried”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:608331″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-144″,”title”:”Atlanta Braves”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:144″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”nlds”,”title”:”NLDS”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”series-a”,”title”:”Series A”,”type”:”taxonomy”}]”type”: “story”, “thumbnail”: “https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/fu6mbom8ae5o0itwwlds”, “title”: “Max Fried Makes Brave Bigger favorite World Series”}},”Team:144″:{“__typename”:”Team”,”id”:144},”Person:608331″:{“__typename”:”Person”,”id”:608331 } }} window.adobeAnalytics = {“reportingSuiteId”:”mlbglobal08,mlbcom08″,”linkInternalFilters”:”mlb”} window.globalState = {“tracking_title”:”Major League Baseball”,”lang”:”en”} window . appId = ” /*–>*/
October 8, 2023
Ronald Acuña Jr. led MLB in stolen bases. Matt Olson led the MLB in home runs. Spencer Strider led the Majors in strikeouts. The Braves led MLB in wins. What else can Atlanta add to the juggernaut it has created?
Oh, right, his World Series-winning ace.
Max Fried is back and he was great throughout. He was just buried under the Braves mountain with 2023 star power.
Assuming Fried forgot about the blisters on his fingers when he started a matchup with Phillies ace Zack Wheeler in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, he could be the X-factor for Atlanta in the postseason – or at least stop the Braves after they lost Game 1 at home.
Fried, who secured the Braves’ 2021 championship with a scoreless gem against the Astros, has fresh hands and has been in playoff shape since returning to the Braves’ rotation in August.
“I feel really good. I feel strong,” Fried said at a press conference before the start on Saturday. “Obviously I don’t have a lot of rounds on hand this year. So I’m excited to come back and leave everything and just go fight with my guys.”
Fried went 6-0 with a 2.79 ERA and 55 strikeouts in nine starts over the final two months of the regular season. He doesn’t post his teammate Strider’s otherworldly results, but Fried is a master at inducing weak contact.
According to Statcast, Fried’s contact quality combined with his excellent strikeout and walk rate (25.7% strikeout rate vs. 5.8% walk rate) gave him an expected ERA of 2.75. That’s the lowest mark among National League starters.
Lowest expected ERA, NL SP, 2023
- Max fried: 2.75
- Brandon Woodruff: 2.86
- Spencer Strider: 3/04
- Joe Musgrove: 3.16
- Zack Wheeler: 3.21
Fried’s strikeout numbers are still pretty good. Better than usual, actually – he struck out over a batter in an inning for the first time since 2019. But his real strength is that 1) he doesn’t give up hard contact and 2) he doesn’t give up air contact. Therefore his opponents cannot harm him.
Let’s break down four standout numbers for Fried.
- Average allowed output speed: 86.5 mph (91st MLB percentile)
Fried has generated the fourth-lowest exit velocity among starters this year. He was overtaken only by soft contact champion Kyle Hendricks and aces Shohei Ohtani and Corbin Burnes.
Fried finished in the top 10% of pitchers leaguewide in exit velocity allowed for four straight seasons. He’s not the easiest pitcher to make contact with early on, and he’s incredibly consistent at making soft contact once hitters put the ball in play.
- Hard Hit Rate Allowed: 32.7% (88th MLB percentile)
Fried’s hard hit rate allowed is a consequence of his exit velocity. Less than a third of the batted balls Fried allowed during the regular season were hit at 95 mph or faster, which is the hard contact threshold according to Statcast. Over the last four seasons, dating back to 2020, he ranked in the 82nd percentile of MLB pitchers or higher in hard-hit rate.
- Permitted barrel rate: 3.8% (95th MLB percentile)
The worst type of contact a pitcher can allow is a barrel roll, which is hitting the ball at the optimal exit velocity and launch angle; barrels turn into home runs and extra-base hits. Fried is one of the best at preventing hitters from hitting the ball.
In fact, he was the the best starting pitcher at preventing barrels this season, with just eight barrels allowed on 211 total batted balls against him. And since Fried became a full-time starter in 2019, this is his fourth season in at least the 92nd percentile of Major League pitches in barrel rate allowed.
SP with lowest barrel rate allowed, 2023
- Max fried: 3.8%
- Skubal Pull: 4.2%
- Steven Matz: 4.7%
- Marcus Stroman: 5.0%
- Zack Wheeler/Joe Musgrove/José Quintana: 5.1%
- Induced ground ball strike rate: 59.2% (MLB 97th percentile)
This is an important event for Fried in 2023. As a starting pitcher, he had the highest ground ball rate of his career. Added to this is a career-low line drive rate of 19.0%, and of course the fewer line drives a pitcher allows, the better.
Fried’s ground ball rate was the second highest among starting pitchers, and he is surrounded by renowned ground ball specialists on the leaderboard.
SP with the highest ground ball rate, 2023
- Logan Webb: 62.7%
- Maximum fried: 59.2%
- Alex Cobb: 57.8%
- Cristopher Sánchez: 57.7%
- Marcus Stroman: 57.4%
Fried’s changeup, which threw him 16.5% of the time during the regular season, a career-high, was particularly effective on the ground ball. More than two-thirds of the contact against his changeup remained on the ground. Fried’s new sweeper was also excellent at pushing grounders into a small sample.
Fried will have to use all his strength against a Phillies team that beat him in the playoffs last year. But if that happens, he’ll be the type of pitcher who can put the World Series favorites back in the driver’s seat.
“There are no secrets. “I think I faced the Phillies more than anyone in my career,” Fried said. “They know what I have. I know what they have. There are no secrets. I just rely on feeling, making and throwing the shots I need to make.”
#Braves #Xfactor #returns #time