MLB
Fantasy Baseball: 5 Pitchers Whose Velocity Trends Should Have Your Attention
Early velocity readings show the stock for four fantasy arms trending up, while one former fantasy ace is showing signs of decline.

Blake Treinen, Washington Nationals

Last week, the spring training battle between upstart Koda Glover and nominal incumbent Shawn Kelley for the Washington Nationals closer job was finally settled in favor of... Blake Treinen?

Indeed, the relatively anonymous Treinen pitched well enough this spring to climb the Nats' closer depth chart, thanks in no small part to an absolutely devastating power sinker that he has used to tremendous effect in the first week of the season.

Treinen's 96-mph sinker has tracked as the eighth-fastest pitch per MLB Statcast's average pitch velocity data, and the pitch is so hard to square up that it's limited hitters to a literally non-existent (.000) isolated slugging percentage (ISO) over a 34-pitch sample this week.

It's too early for any sort of coronation, of course, but the performance of that elite sinker seems to give Treinen the inside track to join the upper tier of fantasy closers before the year is through.


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