RADIO
Edward Cabrera 2023 MLB Player Outlook: Elite Stuff Simply Needs Innings
2 years agoAmong all pitchers in Major League Baseball in 2022, only Miami Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera had three pitches with Stuff+ rankings over 100 that were used at least 10% of the time. Cabrera offers a five-pitch mix and uses a dominant changeup more than any other pitch, featuring it 32% of the time, though with a 32% whiff rate on the pitch, it's undoubtedly effective. In fact, of his five pitches, only one had a batting average against above .200 last season, and only one had a slugging percentage over .400 against it last season, so he limits damage. The issues for Cabrera have been three-fold. First, the Miami Marlins have consistently had a rotation so full of arms that he has struggled to find a place. That is no longer the case after the trade of Pablo Lopez this winter. The other two issues are Cabrera's to rectify - his own health and keeping the ball in the zone. He could only locate 42% of his pitches in the zone in 2022, which means he didn't actually walk more batters with that many pitches out of the zone. Keeping the ball in the zone and keeping himself off the injured list will allow Cabrera to show his impressive stuff and return significant value, as the Marlins right-hander is currently going between pitcher 85 and 90 off the board. ATC projections are board with assessment, projecting Cabrera with a 4.04 ERA, 4.09 FIP, and 9.35 K:9 across 118 innings in 2023.
