Through seven starts this spring, longtime lefty Gio Gonzalez is proving his 2017 campaign was no fluke for the Washington Nationals. However, despite his phenomenal rate stats, new manager Davey Martinez seems to have Gonzalez on a short leash once he reaches the middle innings.
Let’s start with his numbers thus far. After finishing sixth in the NL Cy Young race a year ago, Gonzalez has lowered his ERA (2.33) and raised his strikeouts (9.78 K/9). His walks have held steady and his FIP is a much-improved 2.57.
He does rank 12th in the NL in stranding runners, but he was extremely adept with runners on base last year as well, so this is something of a trend for him.