Even before last night’s start, Jason Hammel’s strikeout to walk ratio was an hilariously high 16.00. Sure, it was just three starts, but anything over 3.00 is good, and anything over 4.00 is crazy good. Phil Hughes busted out an 11.63 last year over the full season, which was a new record (he’s at 11.00 so far this year). So, even in a small sample, Hammel’s number was ridiculous.
Last night, having struck out seven and walked no one last night, Hammel’s ridiculous number jumped to 23.00. Over 25.1 innings, that’s a good 1/8th of a full season.
Hammel’s K/BB is at the top of the board in baseball this year, though he’s tied with Bartolo Colon there. Each has struck out 23 batters, and walked just one.
Overall on the year, Hammel’s xFIP, 2.96, is 16th best in baseball, just behind Jake Arrieta. (Fun aside, and a reminder of the sample size and the influence of hard contact: Jon Lester’s xFIP of 2.29 is second best in baseball.)
Indeed, Hammel has been very good so far in his return to the Chicago Cubs. It suits him, and hopefully he keeps it up. If you missed his dominant eight-inning outing last night against the Pirates, you can check out the highlights here:
Did you like how Starlin Castro capped Hammel’s night off with a Soriano Hop on the pop fly catch?