One of the most pressing cases for optimism in the early goings of 2017 has been the pitching performance of CC Sabathia. After a surprisingly solid 2016, Sabathia entered the final year of his contract with the expectation he would be an innings-eater with slightly below-league-average performance. Instead, in his first two starts of the season, he’s been nothing less than the best pitcher in the rotation. The trick? His ability to sustain soft contact and ground balls.
CC’s success in 2016 was largely driven by a change in approach. As his velocity declined from the upper 90s to the 90-92 mph range, he has abandoned the strikeouts in favour of inducing contact, albeit predictable contact.