The Milwaukee Brewers have had to deal with a string of injuries to their pitching staff this season. At present, four starting pitchers and two relievers are out due to injuries. Despite these setbacks, the Brewers have managed to perform well, sitting at 13th in Major League Baseball (MLB) in ERA. They have recorded six shutouts, tying them for third in all of baseball and the National League lead with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Brewers’ success can be attributed to the impressive performances of unexpected pitchers like Colin Rea and Adrian Houser. However, Joel Payamps, a relief pitcher, is the most underrated player on the Brewers’ roster. Payamps is having the best year of his major league career. He has a career-low 2.22 ERA and has become the Brewers’ second-best relief pitcher, just behind closer Devin Williams.
Payamps was a throw-in from the A’s in a trade the Brewers made with the Atlanta Braves and Oakland Athletics. Despite being overlooked in the trade, Payamps has performed exceptionally well. He has inherited 13 runners so far this season and has stranded 12 of them. Payamps has a 7:1 strikeout to walk ratio, which is nearly triple his previous best seasons. He is also striking out more than 10 batters per nine innings, a career-high.
Payamps owes his success this season to his nasty slider, which is by far his most used pitch. He has turned down the use of his four-seam fastball and has increased the number of sinkers instead. Payamps has one of the best sliders on the team and in MLB, based on vertical and horizontal movement. He also sits in the 93rd percentile in both average exit velocity and walk percentage.
What sets Payamps apart is his ability to freeze batters with the location of his pitches. Although he is only in the 37th percentile for whiff percentage and 33rd percentile in chase rate, he is in the 79th percentile for strikeout percentage. He has a 41.2 percent strikeout rate on his slider and 38.5 percent strikeout rate on his four-seam fastball, both career-highs.
Payamps’ success this season can also be attributed to his more effective mixing of his slider with his cutter and four-seam fastball. He is currently throwing first-pitch strikes just over 60 percent of the time, a career high.
Despite his impressive performance this season, Payamps is not getting enough credit for how well he has pitched. He is the most underrated Milwaukee Brewers pitcher, and his success is a testament to the team’s pitching lab.
In conclusion, the Milwaukee Brewers have had to overcome several injuries to their pitching staff this season. Unexpected pitchers like Colin Rea and Adrian Houser have performed well, but Joel Payamps, a relief pitcher, is the most underrated player on the Brewers’ roster. Payamps owes his success to his nasty slider, effective mixing of pitches, and the team’s pitching lab. Despite not getting enough credit, Payamps is an essential player in the Brewers’ pitching rotation and will continue to perform well throughout the season.
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News Source : Tyler Schickert
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