Jake Irvin has lost over a tick on his fastball, but he looks better than ever
Jake Irvin’s last three starts have been dominant. He has gone 20.2 innings, allowing just three runs. Irvin has 19 strikeouts to just two walks in that time. However, his velocity remains down from last season. Jake Irvin has found a way to work around that lower velocity and it is genius.
Last year, Jake Irvin’s fastball sat at 94 MPH, a solid number. The four-seamer was an effective pitch for him, with batters hitting just .205 against it. However, his heater is hovering at 92 MPH this season. As you would expect with lower velocity, the pitch is performing worse. Opponents are hitting .297 against the pitch and it is generating fewer whiffs.
How do you work around this issue? Irvin’s answer is to throw the fastball less. He is throwing his 4-seamer 29% of the time this year compared to 38% last year. That has allowed him to use his curveball more, bumping its usage from 31.3% to 38.4%.
The hook is Irvin’s best pitch and he has been weaponizing it. He can vary the shape on the pitch, with a slower get me over curve as well as a harder sharper hook to get whiffs. Despite the heavy usage, hitters still can’t figure out the pitch, hitting .150 and whiffing over 30% of the time.
Despite some of the recent success, there are still some warning signs for Irvin. His FIP and xERA are both over 4, despite his ERA sitting at 3.19. Obviously you would love to see the velocity come back because the lower velo has hurt his heaters effectiveness. However, he has found good ways to manage that.
Along with the curveball, Irvin’s command is very sharp. He is only walking two batters per nine innings. Also, models that measure location really like Irvin’s command. One model said he was the second most precise pitcher in all of baseball last night.
The command and the curveball are allowing Irvin to be at his best despite only throwing 92. I was at the game last night and one thing that stood out about Irvin was his composure. He always looked in control even when he got himself into some jams. The right hander was never afraid to throw any pitch in any count.
He was totally unbothered when guys like Soto, Lindor or Alonso came up. They were just another batter he was ready to carve up. Another great sign for Irvin was the lack of homers. This season he has had a bit of a problem with the long ball, but nobody got close to hitting one out tonight.
Jake Irvin is in control and ready to roll despite lower velocity. He is always on the attack and ready to eat innings at a high level. Jake Irvin is turning into a good, ultra-reliable rotation arm.