When the Detroit Tigers signed right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty, the focus quickly shifted to how Detroit’s development staff, led by Chris Fetter, could enhance his performance as a starter. As spring training commenced, Flaherty’s increased velocity was evident. In an early matchup against Tampa, his fastball reached 96 mph, a significant jump from his 2023 average of 93.1 mph, as noted by Brandon Day of Bless You Boys.com
When Flahtery took the mound in game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader against his former team, the Cardinals, no one expected to witness one of the top performances by a Tigers pitcher in the Statcast era as he tied an AL record for most consecutive strikeouts to open a start. He was able to generate 24 swings and misses on 93 pitches. His name enters into a pool of former players who may provoke a strong reaction.
Jack Flaherty’s 24 swings and misses on 93 pitches puts him among the Top 10 performances since Savant started to record data in 2008. He’s among some elite company. pic.twitter.com/bU6Vk2YARS
— Rogelio Castillo (@rogcastbaseball) April 30, 2024
What has been working for Flahtery not only today but for the first month of the season? Let’s take a look:
Flaherty abandons the cutter
Throughout his career, Jack Flaherty has primarily utilized a four-seamer, slider, knuckle curve, and changeup. However, last season he introduced a cutter to his repertoire. Opponents had significant success against this new pitch, hitting .318. Meanwhile, his slider, designed to disrupt the batter’s timing in conjunction with his fastball, did not generate a sufficient whiff rate, raising questions about its effectiveness.
This season, however, the pitch has returned to form, generating a whiff% of 40.2% this season. He was able to generate seven swings and misses, allowing his fastball to get swings and misses on top of the zone.Â
It appears that Jack Flaherty has adjusted his pitching strategy by using his knuckle curve more uniformly against both left-handed and right-handed batters. Historically, this pitch was predominantly used against lefties. However, recent data indicates a balanced approach: of the 91 knuckle curves thrown this season, 45 were to righties and 46 to lefties. The downward action gives it a different look versus more of the east-west action you see on his slider.
The loss because of the offensive struggles may overshadow a damn good performance by a pitcher who seems to dominate the strike zone again.
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Chris Brown