4 years agoSan Diego Padres closer Kirby Yates had two straight two-run outings at the end of July that will definitively damper his ERA for the remainder of 2020. In such a shortened season, owners will have to rely on stuff and pitch mix moving forward, rather than gaudy small sample size stats. Following another save Friday, Yates has now peeled off two in a row, amassing seven strikeouts in 4 ⅓ innings. Most importantly, batters are swinging and missing against the right-hander more than ever before; Yates’ 38.6% whiff rate ranks inside the 96th percentile in the Majors and would give him a new career high. With multiple teams battling bullpen fluctuations, Yates’ role is safe, making him even more valuable over the season’s final seven weeks.--Jesse Borek
Source: Baseball Savant