Offishial news, 2/15/23: 2023 PECOTA projections; Dax Fulton’s expanded pitch mix

Marlins Podcast Episodes

• Join us in wishing a happy 37th birthday to Johnny Cueto. The Marlins signed Cueto in free agency hoping that he’d become the second-oldest pitcher in franchise history to qualify for the ERA title behind only Charlie Hough (thanks to Stathead for confirming that nugget).
• Kevin Barral has Cueto covered in our 2023 Marlins Season Preview.
• You may recall that the Padres were in the mix to get Cueto. They have pivoted to Michael Wacha, who posted similar numbers last year.
• Check out Fish Stripes LIVE tonight from 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET streaming on our YouTube/Twitch/Twitter accounts. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here!

• According to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, Bally Sports Florida has assigned Marlins television analysts Tommy Hutton and Rod Allen about 50 games each for the upcoming season, with Gaby Sanchez and Jeff Nelson combining to split up the rest. It’s a similar workload to what Hutton had in 2022 and about twice as many games as Allen had in his debut season with the network.
• PECOTA projects the Marlins to go 76-86 this season with a minuscule 4.3% chance of making the playoffs. The projections see Luis Arraez as the favorite to win another batting title, but they’re not particularly bullish on Miami’s other everyday players. Interestingly, Tommy Nance’s 50th percentile WARP is the highest among all Marlins relievers.

Baseball Prospectus

• On The Call Up with Aram Leighton, Dax Fulton explained that he now uses two distinct breaking balls. In addition to the conventional curveball that’s long been considered his best secondary pitch, he has a mid-80s offering with more slider-ish characteristics to hunt for strikeouts when he’s ahead in the count. Also, Fulton is working on a two-seamer (“wouldn’t say it’s game ready”). Here is Fulton breaking down pitch sequences from his 2022 season.
• Expect the implementation of the pitch clock to coincide with a rise in balks, Jeff Passan of ESPN explains. The clock is supposed to stop at the beginning of a pitcher’s delivery. Some pitchers will have to change their mannerisms on the mound so that their delivery is more clearly defined. In 2022, MLB only averaged about four balks per team.
• Encouraged by his MLB-leading sweetspot rate last year, Mike Petriello of MLB.com lists Bryan De La Cruz as a possible breakout candidate.