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ANALYSIS: A.J. Puk was a project pick for the Oakland A's at 6th overall in the 2016 MLB Draft out of the University of Florida, and at age 27, the 6'7, 248-lb. lefty has definitely turned a corner. In 44.2 IP this season (all in relief), Puk has totaled two wins, three saves, 14 holds (good for third on the team behind Zach Jackson and Domingo Acevedo), a 2.01 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 3.11 FIP. Not only that, he has only allowed one ER in 12.2 IP since the start of July.
From 2021 to this year, Puk has taken his walk rate below the league average at 6.2% with a slight bump in strikeout percentage (25.1%), while holding the opposition to just 6.2% XBH and 1.7% home runs on a mere 25.9% hard contact on batted balls. The difference from past years could be in his limitation of his repertoire down to just his fastball and slider, throwing the heater less frequently in lieu of a 10% jump in slider usage, making them both more effective to the tune of 5.4 and 1.9 respective pitch values. The Athletics have been winning at a better rate since the start of July, from which point A.J. Puk has been on absolute fire. That lends itself well to plenty of high-leverage innings without much of a chance of a walk or a power shot.
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