Since joining the Yankees, Max Fried was seen as the pitcher who could lead the rotation in the absence of Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt. However, his performance in recent weeks has set off alarm bells within the team.
What began as a dream season has now turned into a string of inconsistent outings and worrying numbers for the New York Yankees, where the playoffs look dangerously close.
On Saturday in St. Louis, Max Fried allowed seven runs for the third time in his career and although the Yankees managed to win thanks to an explosive offensive performance led by Ben Rice, who drove in seven runs, the feelings are not very encouraging regarding the performance of the NY pitcher.
However, the final score of 12-8, masked what was another disappointing outing for the left-hander.
Max Fried from more to less in MLB
Until mid-June, Max Fried had a 1.92 ERA, ranking as one of the best pitchers in the American League.
However, in his last seven starts, that figure has soared to a worrying 6.00 ERA. According to FanGraphs, in three of those outings he has allowed four or more runs.
Advanced statistics don’t help either, as according to Baseball Savant, opposing hitters have had an average exit velocity of 87.3 mph against him, with a 38.6% hard hit rate.
This reflects that his pitches are easier to hit and that his location within the zone has lost effectiveness.
Technical analysis shows that:
- His strikeouts have dropped significantly.
- His walks have increased.
- His four-seam fastball command has weakened.
- His curveball, which used to generate failed swings, no longer surprises hitters.
Max Fried talks about his drop in performance
Fried is aware of his decline in performance and has been self-critical: “It’s frustrating. I definitely have to make adjustments and do it soon,” he said after his most recent start. “We were lucky to score 12 runs, but going forward, I have to perform better.”
The Yankees are currently in third place in the American League East with 66 wins, two behind the Red Sox and still far from the Blue Jays (73), so the next games will be decisive to know if the season will end early for the Bronx Bombers.
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