Watching James Paxton strike out sixteen batters last May, a week before spinning the first no-hitter of his career, was pure joy. His fastball was unhittable and his curveball was buckling knees left and right. It was simply a masterclass in raw stuff. We often evaluate our pitching prospects by scouting their raw stuff: their fastball velocity, the sharpness of their slider, and the drop of their curveball. But as soon as those pitchers reach the major leagues, we start evaluating them based on their outcomes. Strikeout rates and walk rates and batted ball profiles become the standard language by which we gauge success.
The Right Stuff: An Introduction to Pitch Arsenal Scores 3.0
