It’s no secret J.A. Happ hasn’t exactly been the pitcher the Yankees envisioned when they inked him to a three-year deal over the offseason, and home runs have everything to do with that. His 2.24 HR/9 rate is downright ghastly. FanGraphs lists it as third-highest in the league among qualified pitchers.
Happ’s homer rates have climbed higher and higher since 2015, and to see some regression from a 36-year-old pitcher shouldn’t be a surprise to any baseball fan. However, his jump from 1.37 HR/9 last year to 2.24 this year is more than just age-related decline.