Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Pomeranz Fastball Speed Dropping Off Since Mid-August

Baseball Prospectus Boston writer Matthew Kory points out that the fastball velocity of Red Sox starter Drew Pomeranz has declined steadily since mid-August. And, Kory is careful to point out, this trend does not include last night's 2-inning debacle. This, of course, raises the troubling question of whether Pomeranz has hit the proverbial "wall". He has, after all, been an injury-prone guy over his career—heck we almost voided the trade that got him here over health concerns. Pomeranz has thrown about as many innings this year (167.2) as he did in 2016 (170.2). His late-season work for us in 2016 was much worse (4.59 ERA) than his earlier innings for San Diego (2.47 ERA). This from a guy who was 'ACE 1-A' for a big part of this season. At best, a worrisome trend.