Which MLB Playoff Contender Projects to Be the Toughest Postseason Test?
Pitcher Strikeout Rate
| Team | K% | PPS |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 97.4% | 5 |
| Detroit Tigers | 92.9% | 4 |
| Washington Nationals | 92.3% | 3 |
| Atlanta Braves | 86.3% | 2 |
| Oakland Athletics | 85.9% | 1 |
Clayton Kershaw is hands down the best in the game right now, leading the Majors in strikeout percentage, WHIP, ERA, all three ERA estimators (FIP, xFIP, and SIERA), and second in opponent batting average. Round out the Dodgers first three arms with Greinke and Ryu, and it’s no wonder they top the list. But looking at the two workhorses the Tigers can roll out to open a series in Max Scherzer and David Price, and man-oh-day, I’d want no parts of that.
It’s pretty obvious all of these staffs spin some of the best hurlers in baseball, and that’s the reason offensive statistics are such a poor predictor of postseason performance. Looking at strikeout rate, five of the league’s top 10 are in one of the rotations above – Kershaw, Scherzer, Price, Greinke, and Strasburg.
This leaves us with the potential for some crazy good pitching duals in the winner-take-all AL wild card game, especially if we include the Mariners, who missed the cut by 0.3%. We could be looking at a must-see matchup between Scherzer/Price, King Felix, and Jon Lester. One game to earn your right into a five-game Division Series, just another reason why frontline pitching is so important in the playoffs.
