MLB

Fantasy Baseball: 5 Strike Throwers Who Could Break Out in 2017

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Mar 8th, 2017
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Mike Foltynewicz, Atlanta Braves

First-Pitch Strike Rate: 63.4% (Rank: 34th)

Swinging Strike Rate: 10.0%

Perhaps no young hurler improved from one season to the next quite as much Mike Foltynewicz did for the Atlanta Braves from 2015 to 2016.

The biggest growth Folty experienced was his ability to limit damage against lefties. In 2015, lefties logged a .401 wOBA against him, but in 2016, that mark plummeted all the way to .329.

The righty has always possessed great velocity. Reviewing his pitch data over at Brooks Baseball, for his major league career, he's fired 1,646 four-seam fastballs with an average velocity of 96.6 miles per hour. But not only does he fire a ton of strikes with great speed, but he's taken a step forward in his swinging-strike rate as it jumped from 8.9% in 2015 to 10.0% in 2016.

Only the 89th starting pitcher off the board, this is another guy who could be primed for a big breakout.

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