In MLB (and baseball, in general), ERA is a descriptive stat telling how many runs on average a pitcher allows over the course of nine innings.
However, it isn’t necessarily predictive: just because a pitcher has a 3.00 ERA doesn’t mean he is good.
As in everything in life, context is important.
That (hypothetical) pitcher could have a 3.00 ERA with a 4.98 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) and more walks than strikeouts in 20 innings.
That’s not good!
Many analysts and fans in general consider that a pitcher’s strikeout-to-walk ratio is a bit more predictive than ERA.
What does predictive mean in this context?
It means that if the pitcher rarely walks anybody and strikes out a ton of hitters, it’s way more likely that his future performance is good.
Having explained this, Toronto Blue Jays‘ ace Kevin Gausman has been one of the top pitchers in baseball in 2022.
And, as you probably can imagine, his strikeout-to-walk ratio is stellar.
“Best strikeout-to-walk ratio by qualified pitchers in 2022: Kevin Gausman, 13.00; Tyler Anderson, 8.40; Corbin Burnes, 6.70; Nathan Eovaldi, 6.63; Max Fried, 6.50; Aaron Nola, 6.40,” Codify Baseball tweeted.
Best strikeout-to-walk ratio by qualified pitchers in 2022:
Kevin Gausman, 13.00 😮
Tyler Anderson, 8.40
Corbin Burnes, 6.70
Nathan Eovaldi, 6.63
Max Fried, 6.50
Aaron Nola, 6.40 https://t.co/YdxzTxtjgG— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) May 25, 2022
An Incredibly Productive Season
What Gausman is doing is nothing short of amazing.
He is head and shoulders above of the competition when it comes to avoiding free passes and compiling strikeouts.
Strikeouts are wonderful for pitchers: since there is no ball in play, the risk of the hitter inflicting damage or accomplishing something is non-existent.
In 2022, in the tough AL East, Gausman has five walks against 65 (!) strikeouts.
It’s amazing.
His ERA is a rock-solid 2.25 in 56 frames.
He has been the perfect ace for one of the up-and-coming powerhouses in baseball.
The Blue Jays can’t really ask for much more.
NEXT: Blue Jays Failing In One Key Category In 2022