Normally, without any context, I would write off 20 innings of pitching as statistically insignificant. However in context, to put it politely, Taylor Widener’s stats have been trending in the absolutely wrong direction since his standout season for AA Jackson in 2018, and his 2020 season continued that alarming trend,
Looking back at his 2019 season in AAA Reno, Widener saw his ERA balloon from the impressive 2.75 the year prior to an awful 8.10, his FIP go from a solid 2.99 to an alarming 5.99, and his xFIP go from 3.05 to a 5.57. Meanwhile his strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) fell from an outstanding 11.