Blue Jays' Ryan Yarbrough: There is no pitcher quite like him.
Photo credit: https://x.com/mlbtraderumors/status/
Ryan Yarbrough's funky, deceptive, low-slot mechanics, delivering a wide arsenal of zigging and zagging pitches, serve as a valuable complement to the more conventional looks hitters will see from the rest of the Toronto Blue Jays' bullpen.
What made Yarbrough so effective with the Blue Jays late last season? Well, he featured MLB's third-lowest average fastball velocity from its 25th-lowest average arm angle.
He threw the game's second-slowest curveball with the 10th-most horizontal break. His sinker ranked within the league's 95th percentile in downward movement and 79th percentile in arm-side break.
n other words - he's a super unusual dude to face. Hitters simply don't encounter pitchers like him who work from 66 to 89 with five different offerings at an arm slot running nearly parallel to the ground.
Most modern MLB bullpens are built upon a foundation of hulking relievers max-efforting mid-to-high 90s heat and lab-designed breaking pitches that make sharp left and right turns.
But Yarbrough enters games mixing speeds, picking corners, and English-ing his stuff just far enough off sweet spots to create the kind of soft contact defences at the highest level hoover into outs.
It's unusual but it works. Yarbrough produced MLB's second-lowest hard-hit rate last season.
His average exit velocity allowed has ranked within MLB's 97th percentile or better six years running.
In an era when teams value swing-and-miss stuff more than ever, he's annually within the bottom quarter of the league in whiff and strikeout rates.
He doesn't miss many bats. But his ability to move off barrels is nearly unmatched.
His 3.19 ERA last season - good for a 123 ERA+, or 23 per cent better than league average - says one thing. But the +13 run value on his sinker (ninth-best among all MLB sinkers) says another.
As does the +7 run value on his curveball (tied for seventh-highest among all MLB curveballs).
On a per-pitch basis over the course of 2024, both Yarbrough's sinker and curveball were among the most effective in the game.
You won't see him on many highlight reels racking up strikeouts and stomping off the mound as hitters drop to knees following mighty hacks that come up empty.
But take it from a guy who does fill those highlight reels - facing Yarbrough isn't a fun night at the office.
Although he reported to Blue Jays camp a week later than the rest of the club's pitchers, Yarbrough was throwing bullpens throughout the new year in nearby Tampa Bay to maintain readiness and has plenty of time to ramp up for the season.
After throwing around 35 pitches during Thursday's live batting practice session, Yarbrough's next step will likely be an appearance in a Grapefruit League game early this week.
If all goes well there, his progression towards opening day ought to be seamless.
"Thrilled to have him back,» said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. «His pathway to the roster is very similar to what he did last year. Knowing that he can offer length, he can offer an out in a leverage situation. He understands that and there are a lot of different ways he can help us win.»
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