Luis Patiño will make his second open and fourth appearance as a Ray coming up Tuesday for the start of the next homestand against the New York Yankees. While fans are excited about what the young righ-hander can bring to the pitching staff, especially if he continues to get stretched out, a video from producer Lance Brozdowski has shown that Patiño’s slider, which was highly successful according to advanced metrics in 2020, grades out worse this season.
So why does it grade out worse, and why might the the Rays making tweaks to the pitch? Check out the explanation in the video!
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
