Lakeland, Fla. – Here’s some crazy metrics for you. Last season, Tigers lefty Framber Valdez limited hitters to a .193 average and .298 slugging percentage and got a 43.7% whiff rate with his curveball. Pretty good, right? You'd think so, but according to the Statcast, that curveball had a run value of minus-2. In 2024, Valdez’s curveball, which held hitters to a .121 average and .187 slug with a 40% whiff rate, had a run value of plus-14. His strikeout rate with the curve was about the same in both years, 44.6% last year, 44.9 in 2024. Not much to dislike in either year. “It’s an elite pitch for him,” manager AJ Hinch said. “It’s one of the many change-of-pace pitches he has to get guys off...
