If you were told the Cubs signed a pitcher with one of the best strikeout rates in baseball, you probably wouldn’t expect him to throw slower than 95% of the league. Or to be nearly the same age as Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. Yet Koji Uehara, who averaged 86.7 MPH in 2016, has a better strikeout rate than all but 10 relievers over the past four seasons. And that is why the Cubs chose to offer a one-year pact worth $6 million to a man entering his age-42 season.
I like pitchers who strike out lots of batters and walk essentially no one.