RADIO
Sonny Gray 2021 Player Outlook: Legitimate High-End Strikeout Option
4 years agoCincinnati Reds starting pitcher Sonny Gray put forth his second straight solid season since leaving the Big Apple. The 31-year-old went 5-3 with a 3.70 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a career-high 30.6% strikeout rate over 56 innings pitched. He did allow above-average hard contact (his average exit velocity and hard-hit rate were in the 77th and 78th percentile of baseball), but he avoided damaging contact by keeping the ball on the ground with a 6.8-degree launch angle. Gray also did a great job keeping hitters off balance, throwing his curveball, sinker, four-seamer, and slider almost evenly. With a curveball spin rate in the 93rd percentile of baseball and a fastball spin rate in the 88th percentile, there is no reason to think that Gray cannot produce elite strikeout numbers again in 2021. His overall ADP is currently 65, making him the 23rd pitcher off the board. This seems totally reasonable, with a ceiling perhaps slightly higher.
