Historically, Framber Valdez has been an extremely valuable pitcher for the Astros, accumulating 16.4 fWAR since his breakout in 2020. At his best, Valdez performs as an ace-level pitcher. However, at his worst, he tends to experience, for lack of a better word, meltdowns. It occurs at least a few times each season, so we’re not exactly talking about a new development.
The question is when those meltdowns will occur. It usually depends on his sinker and the shape of that pitch in any particular start. Valdez’s sinker is at its best when he keeps it buried in the zone, as is typically the case.