Red Sox: Garrett Whitlock trades strikeout dominance for efficiency

Boston Red Sox starter Garrett Whitlock was remarkably efficient

The series finale at Fenway Park between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds showcased two young pitchers taking drastically different approaches. Ultimately, the one who came out on top wasn’t the one who fit the modern day description of a dominant pitcher.

Hyped Reds rookie Hunter Greene came out firing with 100+ mph fastballs and a filthy slider. He carved up a seemingly overmatched Red Sox lineup, striking out the first four batters he faced on his way to an eight strikeout performance. Boston’s bats were able to catch on to his two-pitch approach during their second trip through the order, tagging Greene for four runs in the fourth inning to knock him out of the game.

Garrett Whitlock wasn’t unleashing the same velocity to rack up flashy strikeout totals but he was the model of efficiency over six innings. This was the best start of his career despite that he didn’t record a single strikeout.

This marks the first time in his career that Whitlock has failed to record a strikeout in an outing in which he tossed more than two innings. His only other appearance this season without a strikeout was a one-inning save against the Toronto Blue Jays in April.

It only took 70 pitches for Whitlock to make it through this start against the Reds, which matched a career-high with six innings. He relied heavily on his sinker to generate weak contact, inducing seven ground ball outs. That includes three double plays that eliminated any potential threats and helped keep his pitch count in check.

The only run that scored against Whitlock came on a ground ball out where the runner from third was able to score. Aristides Aquino was only in position to score an unearned run on the play due to a throwing error by catcher Christian Vazquez. If Aquino hadn’t stolen second base, drawing the errant throw in the process, he likely would have been wiped out on an inning-ending double play.

Whitlock has the ability to pile up strikeouts, having done so consistently in his various bullpen roles. He owned a 9.9 K/9 as a rookie last year when he was used exclusively out of the bullpen and he has a 10.2 K/9 as a reliever this season. His strikeout rate has fallen to 8.5 K/9 as a starting pitcher.

Pitching to weak contact appears to be an intentional effort to conserve his arm for longer outings now that he’s in the rotation. He still hasn’t been allowed to throw more than 84 pitches in a game so he needs to be efficient with this pitch count. He won’t last five or six innings consistently if he’s trying to strike everyone out.

According to Baseball Savant, Whitlock only generated five whiffs against a Reds lineup that rates among the league’s worst with a 23.8 K% and owns a below-average 11.3% swinging strike rate. Whitlock ranks in the 75th percentile in Whiff% this season, which makes the lack of whiffs against a strikeout-prone team notable. His best pitch for getting a swing and miss is his slider (42.5 Whiff%). He only threw seven sliders against the Reds and they only swung at two of them without a whiff.

Whitlock also doesn’t have the same velocity when he’s tasked with lasting deeper into games. He averages 95.4 mph with his sinker, down a tick from last year when he was a full-time reliever. Against the Reds, he topped out at 96 mph with the pitch and averaged only 93.6 mph. His slider saw a steeper decline, from a season average of 82.8 mph down to 80.2 mph.

The right-hander is still adapting to a starting role. He can ramp up his velocity in shorter stints out of the bullpen, which led to higher strikeout totals. He needs to pace himself more as a starter. We know he’s capable of dialing it up to get the strikeout when he needs it but his efficiency against the Reds shows he can still thrive as a pitch-to-contact pitcher, which will benefit him in his new role by conserving his pitch count so that he can last deeper into games.