Pitches that will be key to Martín Pérez potentially bouncing back with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Martín Pérez ability to put together a bounce back season with the Pittsburgh Pirates will likely hinge on the success of these three pitches
In early January, the Pittsburgh Pirates bolstered their starting rotation with the addition of veteran lefty Martín Pérez. The Bucs signed Pérez to a 1-year,
$8 million deal. Even though he is coming off a poor season, Pérez will be relied upon to be an anchor in the Pirate starting rotation this season.
While Pérez has the potential to bolster the Pirate starting rotation, he also comes with plenty of red flags and concerns. The same can be said about fellow left-handed newcomer Marco Gonzales. These are two reasons why the Pirate starting rotation has many question marks entering the season.
During the 2022 season, Pérez was outstanding. In 32 starts for the Texas Rangers, he posted a 2.89 ERA and a 3.27 FIP in 196.1 innings pitched. While earning his lone career All-Star nod, Pérez had an 8.4% walk rate, 20.6% strikeout rate, and limited opposing batters to a .239 batting average.
A driving factor behind Pérez’s success in 2022 was his sinker, cutter, and changeup, the three pitches that he uses most. Below, you can see how often Pérez used each pitch in 2022 and the results each pitch generated.
