The best home and road pitchers
Splits are a massive part of the game of baseball. Even though I have been watching baseball for 17 years, I still can’t wrap my head around how good some players can be in certain situations.
Some pitchers relish the moment they get to be on the mound with the game on the line, some pitchers dread that possibility. Some pitchers thrive in front of their home crowd, some show their worst with the thought of disappointing the fan base filling their minds.
Whatever the case may be, there is no denying that a baseball player cannot be good in every situation. Even in the season where Barry Bonds hit 71 home runs, he only got on base 24% of the time when he was down in the count.
Speaking of splits, let’s take a look at who has been the best home and road pitchers for your 2023 Diamondbacks.
Diamondbacks best home pitchers
You ever wonder if Zac Gallen’s glasses are like Spiderman’s? Maybe they feed him information that continuously gives him the upper hand and ensures that he is one step ahead of his opponents. All jokes aside, Gallen has been absolutely ridiculous at home this season.
In 5 starts in front of his home crowd, Gallen is 5-0 with a 0.77 ERA, a 0.66 WHIP, and a strikeout per 9 innings rate of 12.09. Are these real-life numbers or are these from a video game? Goodness gracious Zac.
Gallen has relied on his 4-seam-changeup combo. Combined, the two pitches have a run value of -9.
Lefty Kyle Nelson has been otherworldly out of the pen at home this season. In 10 innings at Chase, he is 2-1 with a 0.90 ERA and 11 strikeouts. Nelson’s best pitch has been his slider. Batters are hitting under .200 against it and it has recorded a -1 run value.
Diamondbacks best road pitchers
Another dominant arm out of the pen has been Miguel Castro. Looking back at the offseason, Castro’s contract is looking like a steal for Arizona.
In 10.2 innings on the road, Castro has yet to give up an earned run (0.00 ERA), he has a WHIP of 0.94, and he has a strikeout per 9 innings rate of 10.13. Castro has leaned on a filthy slider that has recorded a run value of -5 and a batting average against of .095.
When the Diamondbacks are in a pinch, Castro has been the guy to save the day.
Merrill Kelly is putting together a solid 23’ campaign thanks to his performance in away games. In 5 road starts, Kelly is 4-0 with a 1.63 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. In his last 2 road starts, Kelly is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 13 K’s.
Kelly currently owns the most effective pitch on the Diamondbacks. It is his deceptive changeup that is making hitters look silly. This pitch has recorded a -6 run value so far in 2023 and batters are hitting .125 against it.