RADIO
Jakob Junis 2020 Outlook: Needs To Develop a Second Pitch
5 years agoJunis had yet another disappointing season in 2019. His 5.24 ERA, 13.7 K-BB%, and 4.63 SIERA are indications of a pitcher you want to avoid on draft day. He also was top ten in losses, runs, earned runs and home runs. Jakob Junis’ main issue is that he is a two-pitch pitcher with only one good pitch. His slider produced a 14.7 pVAL and had a 14.4 SwStr%, while his fastball had a -22.7 pVAL. Junis gets hit hard, and he allowed an exit velocity of 90.0 while the league average is 87.5. With two seasons under his belt as a starter, I have a hard time seeing any growth from Junis. The fastball is just too bad, and without a second pitch, he will never provide a sub-four ERA. He is lucky he plays for Kansas City because if he pitched anywhere else, he wouldn’t be in the rotation. Don’t expect much from Junis as he should go undrafted.
