‘It’s time to get excited about Hunter Green (23, Cincinnati Reds) again.’
This is the first sentence of an article posted on the main page of MLB.com on the 19th (Korean time). Reporter David Adler, who wrote the article, focused on analyzing Green’s fastball in an article titled “Why is this fastball pitcher an ace to watch in 2023?” The reason why you must see ‘, he emphasized.
Green and Atlanta Braves Spencer Strider are cited as representative ‘young guns’ who throw a fast ball among existing major league starting pitchers.
Among pitchers who threw more than 2,000 balls last season, Green and Strider ranked first and second in velocity. The average speed of the four-seam fastball was 98.9 mph for Green and 98.2 mph for Spencer. The highest velocity is 102.6 miles for the green and 102.4 miles for the strider. Green had 337 of 1,184 four-seams over 100 mph, and Strider had 77 of 1,525.
The two drew attention from fans last year when they performed a full-time rotation for the first time side by side, but the results were different. While Strider showed growth enough to come in second place in the Rookie of the Year vote, Green left many challenges with jagged control and game management.
However, there is no disagreement that Green is the leading fastball pitcher in the major leagues. All of the “best 4” balls he struck out last year were all green. On September 18, when he struck out Nolan Gorman of the St. Louis Cardinals, his fastball speed was 102.4 mph, followed by fastballs of 102.1 mph, 101.9 mph, and 101.8 mph, striking out.
The reason Adler predicted that Green would explode this year was because of the pitches he showed at the end of last year, that is, in September and October.
Green started 4 games during this period and threw 23 innings, recording an ERA of 0.78, an average batting average of 0.150, and 37 strikeouts. On April 17 (Korean time) against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he threw 80 pitches in 5⅓ innings and scored 39 over 100 miles, setting a record for the most in this category. rode the coaster However, he showed a different appearance after his return on September 18th.
Reporter Adler said, ‘Last season, Green’s pitching at the end of the season was absolutely overwhelming. He recorded an average ERA of 0.78 in 4 games and 14.5 strikeouts in 9 innings, and produced two double-digit strikeout games,’ and analyzed, ‘He learned how to use the 100-mile four-seam, which he had not been able to control all season.
According to Adler, Green used 60% four-seam and 30% slider last April. In May and June, the proportion of sliders increased to 47% four-seam and 48% slider. But the results did not change. After returning in September, the dependence on direct purchase will increase again. By shooting 60 percent four-seams and 34 percent sliders, he reverted to his ball mix earlier in the season. What has changed is that the four-seam is heavier and has a sense of speed.
The average four-seam velocity from September to October was 99.8 mph. His turnover rate also peaked at 2401 in September. His drop was also a season low at 11 inches. In other words, he felt a heightened sense of rising. Experts analyzed that it was because he balanced his pitching and gained confidence.
Fangraphs prediction system Steamer predicted that Green would go 10-10 with a 3.97 ERA and 3.2 WAR in 29 starts this season. He pitched 168 innings and he walked 62 while striking out 212. WAR is similar to other team aces such as Dylan Siege, Max Fried, and Blake Snell, and his strikeout rate is 11th overall. 스포츠토토
Green, who joined Cincinnati with the second overall pick in the first round of the 2017 draft, shows significant growth in the minor leagues. He pitched in 21 games in Double-A and Triple-A in 2021, going 10-8 with a 3.30 earned run average and was praised for opening his eyes to pitching. And he was promoted to the major leagues last year.