9 "MUST KNOW" Stats (4/20)

7 HRs

Pete Alonso is not afraid to step into the spotlight. Over 16 career games in Dodger Stadium, Alonso has shown his prodigious power with 7 homers in that limited action. Dodger Stadium is also a pitcher's park known for its power repression so his power binge is especially notable. Gavin Stone will be toeing the rubber against the Mets on Saturday and while he has not allowed a HR this season, he is getting knocked around with a 1.57 WHIP. Pete Alonso should make plenty of hard contact on Saturday.


.122 BAA 

Kutter Crawford looks to have finally found his footing in the majors as he has been one of the most dominant pitchers of the early season. Absolutely no hitter has been able to figure out Crawford. He has the second lowest batting average against with a .122 average. He does not have the hardest matchup either since the Pirates rank in the middle of the pack with a .244 average. 


.090 BAA

Talking about good batting averages, enter Ronel Blanco. Blanco has been one of the biggest surprises of the early season. After carrying a 1.48 WHIP last year, this elite form seems like it came out of nowhere. He is the league leader in batting average against with a sparkling .090 average. He should extend this form of dominance as he plays a Nationals lineup who ranks bottom 10 in the league in team batting average.


1.76 WHIP

It is great to see Mike Soroka on the mound again but he has not been able to miss many bats as he carries a 1.76 WHIP. That WHIP is a huge reason for concern as it is the 3rd worst in the league among qualified pitchers. Naturally, this high on base percentage has led Soroka to give up a lot of runs leading to him also carry the 3rd worst ERA in the league. He plays the Phillies who have been hot, scoring at least 5 runs in 3 straight games. Expect this Phillies offense to have a huge day.


2 Starts

Cole Ragans has quietly been one of the top pitchers in the MLB. Since coming over to Royals, Ragans has been nearly unhittable. Over 16 starts with the team, Ragans has only allowed more than 3 earned runs in 2 starts. Even with a tough game against the powerful Orioles lineup on Saturday, I still like Ragans's odds of delivering a quality start given his elite form.


15 ERs

Anytime Alex Wood takes the mound, the opposing offense is primed for a HUGE day. Wood is in the bottom 10 among all MLB pitchers in runs allowed with 15 ERs in just 16.2 IP. His 8.10 ERA would rank dead-last in the MLB if he qualified for the league leaders. Most of the firepower in the Guardians lineup he is facing are left handed batters so you would think that Wood may have an advantage as a lefty, but he has been just as bad against lefties this season. He has allowed a .348 average to lefties so the guys like Steven Kwan, Andres Gimenez and Josh Naylor should still find success in this game.


0 ERs

When highlighting 0 ERs, there is only one guy you can think of at the moment, Shota Imanaga. Imanaga has been nothing short of phenomenal to open the season showing great form in every game. Do not expect this to change Saturday as he plays a Marlins lineup who have not shown a single offensive spark all season long. They ranked in the bottom 6 in runs scored so Imanaga should be able to dice up this squad.


12 MPH Eastward Wind

The seasons are changing and the first hints of summer are hitting Wrigley Field. When summer hits Chicago the wind is always blowing out of the park and Saturday seems like the first game where these conditions will be in place. The eastward wind in particular will emphasize left handed power so there is one player who especially grabs my attention. Michael Busch has been everything the Cubs could have asked for showing elite power already so with the wind at his back, I expect to see a Busch bomb. 


.346 xBA

Dakota Hudson has been pretty average to open the year with a 4.15 ERA, but underlying stats indicate he may be getting lucky and should have much worse stats. Hudson's most used pitch is his sinker which he has thrown 37.8% of the time to open the year and so far it has been his best pitch as he stymied opponents holding them to a .174 average on the pitch, but this has been luck more than anything. Statistically, Hudson's sinker is very hittable as the advanced metrics indicate he should be getting lit up with a .346 expected batting average on the pitch. The .172 difference between his real and expected batting average will not hold up and once his luck runs out, Hudson's stats will take a big step back.

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