![]() He’s also gotten hitters to bite more often, increasing his chase rate on sliders from 35 percent to 40.8 percent.īy run value, which measures an event’s impact on the base, out and ball-strike count situation, Cease’s slider is far and away the most valuable pitch in baseball, coming in with a staggering run value of -32, 10 runs better than the next best pitch at the time of this writing. ![]() Whether he’s ahead or behind in the count, facing a righty or a lefty, Cease is ready to throw his slider, which has been the key difference between last year and this one. This season, Cease is achieving a similar whiff rate on his slider, but has taken the pitch to new heights, as it’s now his most-used pitch.Īnd it’s not just that Cease is throwing the slider more, he is also trusting it more in every situation. In 2021, hitters whiffed on just over half of all swings against it. Even when he was struggling in his first few seasons in the big leagues, Cease could always go to his breaking pitches for swings and misses, especially his slider. His big change in 2022 has been pitch usage - using his nastiest stuff more often. Additionally, his ability to record strikeouts - his greatest strength as a pitcher - vanished, as he was striking out less than seven batters per nine innings.īut then Cease began making the kinds of adjustments that can determine whether a young starter enjoys a long MLB career.Īnd Cease wasn’t done tinkering. And though he pitched to a much better 4.01 mark in 2020, his 6.36 fielding independent pitching was second-worst among starters with at least 50 innings. In his rookie season of 2019, Cease posted a forgettable 5.79 ERA. Back then, Cease was a stuff-first pitcher who, despite clearly possessing a high ceiling, also had some reliever risk due to spotty command and a high walk rate.Īlthough Cease remained a starter as he continued his ascent through the high minors, those concerns about his command became a reality in his first two seasons at the major league level. It took a series of refinements to that fastball-slider combo before Cease could finally achieve his potential - potential that was hinted at last season and is being fully realized this year.ĭrafted in the sixth round of the 2014 draft by the Chicago Cubs, Cease was shipped to the South Side before the 2017 trade deadline. Just a few years ago, Cease was wrestling with control problems and struggling to harness his pitching gifts. White Sox starter Dylan Cease is one of those super-elite pitchers.īut it wasn’t always that way. A select few can do both, and within that group, only the most elite can keep it up for more than a few batters at a time. Others have breaking balls that disappear, making hitters look like Little Leaguers at the plate. Some MLB pitchers have fastballs that can reach triple digits, pushing the limits of what is possible for the human body. ![]() Dylan Cease has used his slider to become one of baseball’s best pitchers.
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