With high expectations for 2020 within the organization — and for the player, himself — New York Mets right-hander Marcus Stroman is looking forward to presenting opposing hitters with an upgraded wrinkle to his arsenal.
In a Twitter exchange with Metsmerized‘s Mathew Brownstein, the 28-year-old Medford, Long Island product elaborated on the increased effectiveness of his cutter after being traded to New York from Toronto on July 28 last season.
“I figured out how to manipulate my cutter to make it bigger or smaller whenever I want,” Stroman tweeted. “Didn’t find that until I was with the Mets. Can’t wait to attack the zone with a steady mix!”
That checks out.
Before the trade, over 21 starts for the Blue Jays, Stroman’s cutter was being tuned up to the likes of a .355 batting average against, .297 expected batting average against, and a 10% strikeout rate (445 offerings; 96 plate appearances).
After arriving in Flushing, the right-hander transformed it into a bonafide weapon. Over 11 starts for the Mets, batters hit just .217 against Stroman’s cutter with a .220 xBA, .464 slugging percentage against, and a 32% strikeout rate (303 pitches; 77 PA).
Whether his cutter’s resurgence was a personal revelation or not is unknown, though we all want to believe Phil Regan had a hand in it just to see his legend grow that much more.
And while Stroman’s sinker didn’t get the results he was hoping for (.374 BAA, .505 SLGA with New York) despite an elite 4.1 inches of vertical movement above average, his slider (5.5 inches of horizontal movement above-average, also outstanding) continued to get the job done.
From his first outing with the Mets (August 3 versus Pittsburgh) through the end of the season, Stro’s slider held hitters to a .172 BAA, .189 xBA, .276 SLGA with a 40% strikeout rate and just one registered barrel (220 offerings). That will suffice.
If Marcus Stroman were to theoretically lean on his cutter and slider more consistently while also mixing in his seldom-used but absolutely wicked curveball (no hits allowed on just 32 offerings last season; 2,671 RPM spin rate ranks in the 75th percentile) a bit more, perhaps his sinker (2,345 RPM; 79th in baseball) could regain its effectiveness.
Keeping hitters off-balance and guessing is the name of the game. Stroman’s ability to make batters look foolish with a wide array of pitches plays right into that angle. His dedication to continuously improving his craft only strengthens his case.
