2022 Diamondbacks: The Best and Worst Pitcher at Home
Best Pitcher at Home: Zac Gallen (0.85 WHIP)
Shocker right? I feel like 75% of my writing about this Arizona team is somehow related to Zac Gallen and his absurd 2022…
You know when you were little and you set the difficulty of your baseball video game to rookie so that you could easily win and put up insane numbers? I wonder if that is how Gallen felt a season ago; especially when he pitched at home. In 15 home starts a season ago, Gallen went 6-1 with a 2.49 ERA, a 0.85 WHIP, and a .176 BAA. I think it is safe to say that those are video game numbers. What’s crazy is that Gallen wasn’t just dominant at home, he was also stellar on the road. In 16 road starts Gallen went 6-3 with a 2.59 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a .195 BAA. Those are Cy-Young numbers if you ask me…
The question will be, can Gallen keep up these numbers from a year ago? With some new and improved bats in the lineup, hopefully, some of the pressure will be taken off Gallen, and some insurance will come his way in the form of runs…
Worst Pitcher at Home: Mark Melancon (1.65 WHIP)
I think Melancon would be the first to tell you that he would love a do-over for the 2022 season…
In 32.2 innings pitched at home, Melancon posted a 2-6 record, a 5.79 ERA, a 1.65 WHIP, and a .280 BAA. If you only watched home games a season ago, you would probably think this guy is the worst relief pitcher in baseball, and for good reason. But once again, a D-Backs player was night and day difference at home and on the road. In 23.1 innings pitched on the road, Melancon produced a solid 3.09 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.
Despite the horrendous home numbers from a year ago, there is one area where Melancon thrived both at home and on the road. In 10 save opportunities at home last season, Melancon recorded 9 saves. In 11 save opportunities on the road, Melancon recorded 9 saves as well. That means overall, Melancon recorded 18 saves out of 21 opportunities. 18 out of 21, Arizona, you have yourself an elite veteran closer for another season…