TJ Stuff: King of the Castle
Michael King, Nathan Eovlaldi, Shane Baz, Shane Smith, Will Warren
Welcome to “TJ Stuff”, a series which aims to highlight any intriguing MLB players and performances.
Michael King
Michael King embarrassed Cleveland hitters yesterday as he struck out 11 in 5.0 IP. After 2 starts, I think it is safe to say that King has upgraded his arsenal in nearly every dimension. His sinker and changeup are each exhibiting +4” of arm-side movement without any other drawbacks. This added run increased his sinker and changeup tjStuff+ grade to 108 (96 in 2024) and 106 (99 in 2024) respectively. The most notable different from last season has to be his 4-Seam fastball. From his same release, he added +4” iVB on the offering which pushes it into elite company. Through his two starts it has returned a ridiculous 55.0 Whiff%.
King was utterly dominant in 2024 and it looks like he has found a new level early on this season. These changes are significant and he looks incredible!
Nathan Eovlaldi
Nathan Eovlaldi pitched the first complete game and shutout of the season as he silenced the Reds yesterday. Overall, not has changed in Eovaldi’s pitch mix compared to last season. He has dialed back on his 4-Seam usage vs LHH in favour of his curveball which keeping his pitch shapes consistent.
The most meaningful aspect of Eovaldi’s hot start has been his excellent splitter usage. His splitter has been his bread and butter throughout his career and it looks like more of the same this season. He pinpoints the offering at the bottom of the zone and isn’t afraid to throw it in all counts. It has been nearly unhittable this season, and whenever contact is made, it is typically very soft.
The Rangers have dealt with a myriad of injuries to start the season and Eovaldi’s stellar play has given them the necessary relief to navigate.
Shane Baz
After a handful of injuries stalled his development, Baz finally looks healthy and ready to break out! Baz racked up 10 K on the day as he spread out his arsenal to stump Pittsburgh batters. His fastball velocity was up +1.5 MPH, averaging 97.1 MPH and topping out at 100.4 MPH. His curveball exhibited ~1” more drop yesterday while he doubled its usage from 2024 (19% to 36%). It was his primary offering vs LHH and was used about 1/3 of the time vs RHH. The last big change was to his changeup as it had +3” arm-side run which helps separate it from his fastball. The new velocity and movement differential helped bump its tjStuff+ grade from 95 to 105. He also exclusively threw to LHH.
Baz carving up his former team was poetic and he looks ready to dominate this season. The command was on point and the stuff looked excellent. All signs point to a very productive season for the young righty.
Shane Smith
Shane Smith made his MLB debut after being selected 1st overall in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft. He impressed this Spring with the most notable change being his new kick changeup which sits in the low 90s with an incredible amount of run and depth. It returned excellent results yesterday, but he was marred by his inability to put away batters. His fastball was about a tick harder with considerable cutting action and more ride. I don’t expect the pitch to be a massive whiff generator, but it should be an effective platoon neutral option to limit damage.
Overall, Smith’s debut looked promising! He wields starters mix that he can leverage to tackle both RHH and LHH. Hopefully with time he can refine his approach with 2 strikes to take advantage of his whiff inducing abilities.
Will Warren
Will Warren made his long-awaited return to MLB after a very encouraging Spring which saw him revamp his arsenal and improve his pitch shapes. Usage was a big talking point regarding Warren entering the season, and although his Spring outings indicated a move away from his 4-Seam, he tossed 32% in his debut. This may have been a function of Arizona’s LHH heavy lineup, so his usage will be something to watch in his next few starts. His shape improvements held as his changeup exhibited more depth while his sinker gained a few inches of run. These changes boosted their tjStuff+ scores to 105 (92 in 2024) and 107 (99 in 2024) respectively.
Overall, the changes Warren made over the winter were very encouraging. Also, I think it would be worth reintroducing his cutter to help elevate his sweeper. In its current state, the sweeper is highly telegraphed due to its drastic differing shape compared to his other pitches. His cutter would give him a pitch that sits in the middle of his movement profile to bridge his arsenal together.
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