We have seen Fried debut a new pitch in mid-80s that looks good. Turns out it's a slider, and he threw it twice last night. Let's see how good of a pitch that thing is...
First, let's do a sanity check on the other stuff he threw last night, the FA and CU.
FA: Velo = 95.0 mph (Grade 61.8), X-Mov = -1.1" (Grade 27.1), Z-Mov = 7.2" (Grade 33.9)
This is still the same flat and straight FA with plus velocity. The lack of movement on this pitch will always make it less effective than the velocity suggests.
CU: Velo = 76.3 mph (Grade 41.7), X-Mov = -4.5" (Grade 50.9), Z-Mov = -13.8" (Grade Broken)
Yup, the downer CU somehow got even better. Maybe he just snapped off 3 doozies last night, but this is quite possibly the premier 12-6 CU in the game today. It is Zito-like...or better.
SL: Velo = 83.4 mph (Grade 44.9), X-Mov = -8.6" (Grade 80), Z-Mov = -3.7" (Grade 74.8)
Look...he only threw 2 of them, but this movement data is nasty, and there's no other way to describe this Ohtani-like SL. The limited data suggests Fried just added another elite breaking pitch with a completely different shape than his CU.
My knock on Fried has always been the lack of movement on his FA, but with what appear to be 2 elite breaking pitches, it may not matter. Keep in mind Fried also has an above average CH in his pocket that moves exactly opposite to his SL.
Suddenly Fried is a guy with 2 elite breaking balls, an above average CH, and a ~40 FA that grades out as barely usable...but it doesn't matter because the breaking stuff is sooooo (yes, 5 o's) good.
Fried was the guy I most wanted to see data on, and even though he still hasn't added the SI, it may not matter. These breaking balls plus the presence of a good CH means he is a clear 2-3 option if the control plays (that's 3-4 fWAR). If he adds the 50/60 SI I think he can, and the control plays...he's the best SP in the organization.
Fried is not a guy who should be throwing mop up innings in blowout losses, or traded for MadBum...that's for sure. The possibility of these types of repertoire tweaks is why I've always been so hesitant to include Fried in trades.
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