Cubs Insider · Jul 26, 2017
Jake Arrieta’s Using His Sinker at (Maybe) Unsustainably High Rates
Looks like it’s time to add another weird trend to the list of odd Jake Arrieta observations. After a historical 2015 campaign, the bearded pitcher showed variable release points in 2016, which was associated with significantly less slider movement. As the 2016 campaign rolled along, the righty relied less and less on his slider.
As we’re seeing this season, he is leaning heavily on his sinker and is throwing the pitch exhaustively. In his last three starts, Arrieta threw a least 70 percent sinkers and decreased his curve rate by nearly 34 percent (numbers in chart represent percentages of total piches).