The case for Tony Gonsolin

Is Tony Gonsolin Cy Young material? According to Jarrett Seidler at Baseball Prospectus, it’s possible.

Gonsolin’s path to a spot in the rotation has been long and winding. Starting out as an outfielder and sometime pitcher before the Dodgers made him a full-time reliever, Gonsolin now has a spot in the starting rotation and a 16-5 record since his MLB debut in 2019.

The key, Seidler says, is Gonsolin’s splitter. After emerging as a dominant pitch in 2019, Gonsolin has added nearly a foot of vertical movement to his splitter since his prospect days.

And while the spin rate has fallen dramatically, that’s not the worst thing for a changeup-style pitch.

The combo of increased break and lessened spin is working: batters are hitting .125 against Gonsolin’s signature pitch.

Add the splitter to a solid breaking ball and an unhittable curve — Gonsolin has thrown 110 of them this season, and not a single one has resulted in a hit — and he could very well be a new star in Hollywood.

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