Best finesse pitchers in MLB for 2016
The best soft-tossing, control pitchers in MLB.
Dallas Keuchel, Astros
Keuchel's fastball doesn't even average 90 mph, but the sink he gets on the pitch helped him win AL Cy Young in 2015. He also showed elite control, with just under two walks per nine innings.
Jaime Garcia, Cardinals
Garcia's game isn't much different than Keuchel's with a nasty sinker from the left side and great control. His biggest issue has been staying healthy, as last season was the first time he threw 100 innings since 2012.
Hisashi Iwakuma, Mariners
Iwakuma has been a tactician for the Mariners since coming over from Japan, with a 3.17 ERA and less than two walks per nine innings. He also averages less than 89 mph on his fastball.
Alex Wood, Dodgers
Wood's unorthodox mechanics create great deception and have made him an effective pitcher for his entire MLB career. The lefty has shown above-average ground ball rates while averaging 89 mph on his fastball last season.
Mike Fiers, Astros
One would think Fiers is a power pitcher based on his strong strikeout rates, but that's not the case. His long motion creates great deception on his fastball that averages 89 mph. Fiers has more than one strikeout per inning during his MLB career.
Mike Leake, Cardinals
Leake cashed in on a five-year contract with the Cardinals this offseason, a team that values ground ball pitchers highly. The former Red has peaked with an average fastball of just less than 91 mph, but he's allowed only 2.3 walks per nine innings over his career.
Kyle Hendricks, Cubs
With a fastball that averages 88 mph, Hendricks gets the most out of his ability. He's shown nearly flawless command since arriving to the Majors in 2014, with only two walks per nine innings and a 3.49 ERA.
Aaron Nola, Phillies
Nola doesn't throw with much velocity, but he was the seventh overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft for a reason. The Phils pitcher was impressive in his rookie debut, with a 3.59 ERA in 13 starts and only 2.2 walks per nine innings.
Hector Santiago, Angels
Santiago knows how to miss bats despite a fastball that averages only 90 mph. The lefty had more than eight strikeouts per nine innings last season with a 3.59 ERA.
Marco Estrada, Blue Jays
Estrada throws everything but the kitchen sink and had a great season in 2015 for Toronto. He went 13-8 with a 3.13 ERA for the Blue Jays while averaging only 89 mph on his fastball.
Phil Hughes, Twins
A power pitcher when he arrived to the Majors with the Yankees, Hughes has transitioned into a finesse pitcher. He's shown historically great control over the last two seasons, with less than one walk per nine innings in both years. Velocity decline last year caused his strikeouts to also plummet and increased his ERA by nearly one full run.
Jake Peavy, Giants
Peavy was more of a power pitcher when he arrived to the Majors with San Diego, but after several injuries he's getting by with his control. He averaged only 90 mph on his fastball last season and threw his cutter more than ever. Though, the results were positive with only two walks per nine innings and 3.58 ERA in 19 starts.
Collin McHugh, Astros
McHugh actually threw his slider more than his fastball last season and also threw his curveball more than 20 percent of the time. The mixing of his pitches created a recipe for success, with a 19-7 record and 3.89 ERA.
Tyler Duffey, Twins
The Twins have been known for producing excellent control pitchers in recent seasons, going back to Brad Radke. Duffey is their newest contributor, going 5-1 with a 3.10 ERA in his first 10 MLB starts last season. His fastball barely averages 90 mph.
Colby Lewis, Rangers
Lewis struggles to keep the ball in the park, but he can certainly throw strikes. His fastball averaged only 88 mph last season, but he allowed only 1.9 walks per nine innings and won 17 games.
Chris Young, Royals
The veteran Young was an important swingman for the World Series champs last season, going 11-6 with a 3.06 ERA in 123.1 innings. The tallest pitcher in baseball, Young throws on a downward plane and averaged just better than 86 mph on his fastball last season.
Jon Niese, Pirates
A longtime Mets starter, Niese was acquired by Pittsburgh in the offseason for his plus control and ground ball rate. He's averaged less than 90 mph on his fastball over the last two seasons.
Bartolo Colon, Mets
Colon's approach is unique in so many ways but mostly because he throws one pitch as a starter more than 80 percent of the time. The former Cy Young Award winner was a power pitcher early in his career and could reach the upper 90s, but now his fastball averages just 88 mph.
Yusmeiro Petit, Nationals
Petit has pitched in relief recently and has been solid as a very deceptive pitcher. He's allowed fewer than two walks per nine innings in each of the last two seasons and produced a 3.67 ERA last season.
Scott Feldman, Astros
Yet another soft-tossing Astros starter, Feldman has transformed his career with the development of his cutter and curveball. His cutter is his primary pitch, averaging 88 mph. He allowed just more than two walks per nine innings last season.
Josh Tomlin, Indians
Tomlin has struggled to stay on the mound, but he doesn't walk many batters when he is healthy. For his career, Tomlin has walked only 1.5 batters per nine innings with a fastball that rarely touches 90 mph.
Henry Owens, Red Sox
Owens did a great job missing bats in the minors, but that wasn't because of his velocity. He averaged only 89 mph on his fastball as a rookie with a 4.57 ERA in 11 starts. The Red Sox expect him to be a big part of their rotation in 2016.
Jeremy Hellickson, Phillies
A changeup artist for most of his career, Hellickson's velocity isn't what it was when he arrived to the Majors with Tampa Bay. His fastball only averages 90 mph, and he's suffered with an ERA above 4.00 in three consecutive seasons.
Tommy Milone, Twins
Control has been Milone's calling card since he was coming up through Washington's farm system. He has a career 3.97 ERA with only 2.2 walks per nine innings and averaged less than 88 mph on his fastball last season.
Zach Davies, Brewers
Acquired from Baltimore last season, Davies shows excellent ground ball rates and should be able to plug a hole in the rotation for the Brewers. His fastball averaged less than 89 mph during his MLB debut with Milwaukee last year.
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